The Second Crawley Bride
by winter129
Summary: George Crawley is the younger brother of Matthew Crawley, and he is bringing his wife from Joseon (Korea) to Downton. This is her story of her life, love, and how she adjusts to a society starkly different from her own.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Arrival of the Crawleys

In Manchester, a slightly aged woman was eating breakfast with her son, when a housemaid walked in, saying

"First post, ma'am."

The kindly woman smiled and thanked her, taking the letters as she said,

"Thank you, Emma. One for you."

With that, she handed a letter to her son. As he was starting to read it, the woman had finished reading the first letter and gasped.

"Mother? What is it?"

The man with blonde hair and deep blue eyes, wondered what could have caused such a surprise to his mother when she said,

"Oh Matthew, your brother is returning to England, with his wife. He did mention a noble woman from Joseon that had caught his attention while he worked for the English delegation, but I never expected this!"

Matthew took the letter from his mother, and read the details and was in shock as he said,

"Well, mother, we might have to send a telegram to him soon."

The woman looked at her son with a curious glint as she asked,

"Really? What is it?"

Matthew sighed as he said, "It's from Lord Grantham."

Confusion was evident in the woman's eyes as she further asked, "What on earth does he want?"

Matthew paused before looking up at her, and saying, "He wants to change our lives."

The woman took the letter to read before gasping, not expecting either of the news to reach her that day.

"Well then, I guess we should start preparing." She said, as she smiled. She could not wait to see her second son and his wife, despite knowing the bride from her second son's words.

~~ ….. ~~

A few days later, Matthew and his mother were in a motorcar, arriving in the village when their driver told them,

"Here we are, ma'am. Crawley House."

Matthew let out a breath of trepidation as he said, "For good or ill."

The chauffeur opened the door for them as they both got off, and Matthew silently complained to his mother,

"I still don't see why I couldn't just refuse it."

The mother tutted at that as she once more explained,

"There's no mechanism for you to do so. You will be an earl. You will inherit the estate. Of course, you can throw it away with your habit, that's up to you."

That's when a man came up to greet them. He was in the standard butler's outfit. Matthew spotted him and asked,

"Can I help you?"

The man provided a strained smile as he said, "I'm Molesley, sir, your butler and valet."

Matthew internally groaned, his irritation at his new situation showing as he started to say,

"Mr. Molesley, I'm afraid-"

But before he could finish his sentence, his mother intercepted, trying to speak as politely as she could as she said,

"May I introduce ourselves? I am Mrs. Crawley, and this is my first son, Mr. Matthew Crawley."

Mr. Molesley sensed the irritation, however, and tried to hide his grimace as he nodded and said,

"I'll just give Mr. Taylor a hand with the cases."

Matthew tried to stop him, but his mother once again stopped him from doing so as she told the butler,

"Thank you, Molesley."

Matthew watched the man take his cases as he whispered to his mother,

"I won't let them change me."

The mother understood where her son was coming from, but regardless, she asked him,

"Why would they want to?"

As they were walking into the building, Matthew responded with,

"Mother, Lord Grantham has made the unwelcome discovery that his heir is a middleclass lawyer and son of a middleclass doctor."

His mother huffed as she said, "Upper middleclass."

Matthew guiltily looked at his mother for a quick second before continuing with,

"He'll have to limit the damage by turning me into one of his own kind."

She looked at her eldest son in concern at that statement as she noted,

"When you met him in London, you liked him."

Matthew opened his mouth to retaliate, but closed it again as he could not think of a comment. When they approached their door, they met their housemaid Ellen, who walked them through the house.

Satisfied, the mother told Ellen,

"Oh. Ellen. This is much better than I thought it would be. You have done well."

Ellen smiled politely as she said, "Thank you, ma'am."

That was when their butler, with his slicked hair, poked his head in as he asked,

"Would you like this in here, ma'am, or taken up to your room?"

The mother smiled at their butler as she responded with,

"In here, thank you. So, are you the whole of our new household?"

The butler looked decently surprised at the question, but regained his composure as he answered with,

"There's a local girl, ma'am, Beth. She is the double under housemaid and kitchen maid."

Matthew looked flabbergasted at that information and started to say, "This is ridiculous-"

But his mother put a gentle arm on his as she smiled guiltily and told Molesley,

"Thank you very much, Molesley. Might we have some tea?"

Mr. Molesley eyed Matthew for a moment with worry, before nodding with a, "Very good, ma'am."

With that the man left with Ellen, finally relieving Matthew with, "They can go right now."

His mother rolled her eyes as she knew what was coming, but still asked, "Why?"

Matthew started to rant with,

"Because we do not need a butler or a valet, if it comes to that. We've always managed perfectly well with a cook and a maid and they cannot expect us to alter our-"

But he got cut off as his mother had finally grown tired of his irritation as she said,

"What they expect, Matthew, is that we won't know how to behave. So, if you don't mind, I would rather not confirm their expectations. Either way, George's wife is bringing her own lady's maid, indicating that she is, from a higher class then we used to be. Surely, you can't demand her to lower herself, like you assume they supposedly are asking you to higher yourself?"

Matthew quieted down, but still said,

"I have to be myself, Mother. I'll be no use to anyone if I can't be myself. And before they, or you, get any ideas, I will choose my own wife, like George."

His mother finally looked puzzled at the notion of marriage as she asked, "What on earth do you mean?"

Matthew groaned as he said, "Well, they're clearly going to push one of the daughters at me. They'll have fixed on that when they heard I was a bachelor."

And unfortunately for Matthew, at that exact moment, a woman who he deemed as most beautiful, walked in as Molesley introduced her a step late,

"Lady Mary Crawley."

Matthew swallowed thickly at her appearance as she politely said,

"I do hope I'm not interrupting."

Matthew's mother smiled, though she knew her son was not as calm inside anymore as she answered with,

"Lady Mary."

Mary smiled and said, "Cousin Mary, please."

The mother and son eyed each other warily, as the woman continued with,

"Mama has sent me down to welcome you, and to ask you to dine with us tonight. Including Cousin George and his wife. Unless you're too tired."

Matthew could only stare at Mary, while his mother answered for both of them,

"We would be delighted."

Mary maintained her smile, though her eyes did look Matthew up and down a little condescendingly as she said,

"Good. Come at eight."

She turned to go when, once again, Matthew's mother spoke to her,

"Won't you stay and have some tea?"

Mary smiled, and both the mother and son knew that she had heard their earlier conversation as she responded with,

"Oh, no. You're far too busy. And I wouldn't want to push in."

Matthew looked at her with guilt written all over his features. When he spotted that Mary had already started to walk out, he rushed after her, seeing that she was already astride her horse with the help of a servant.

He heard her tell him, "Lynch, I think we'll go back by the south road."

Lynch responded with, "Very good, my lady."

Matthew stopped by the horse, as he said,

"Lady Mary, I hope you didn't misunderstand me. I was only joking."

Mary looked down at him with a bitter smile as she amusedly said,

"Of course. And I agree. The whole thing is a complete joke."

With that, she rode out, leaving Matthew to helplessly watch after her as she left.

~~…..~~

Not too long after, Matthew saw a motorcar come into the lot, and he stepped back a little, to see a familiar silhouette. He smiled as he walked over, when the chauffeur from earlier opened the door. His brother George stepped out of the vehicle, dressed in a brown suit. George looked up to see his older brother and smiled, rushing up to him and hugging him tightly.

"Matthew! Oh, how I missed you!"

Matthew chuckled before pushing his brother away playfully, and said, "It's been quite a while. How was the country?"

George responded with, "It was an adventure for sure. Not the best of times to be there, but now, I can never go back."

Matthew was about to ask for his brother to further elaborate, but Matthew could tell that George was preoccupied as he rushed over to help someone in the car. Matthew realized it was his sister-in-law immediately. But he was shocked to see a dainty hand grasp George's before a figure dressed in English clothing come out.

She was Asian, and held an air of authority about her, despite a sad look in her eyes. The woman smiled at George, before spotting Matthew. She whispered something to George, who led her up to meet his older brother when Molesley appeared again.

The butler paused in shock, but the woman smiled at the butler as she said in perfect English,

"Hello, you must be the butler. Could you help my lady's maid, Maria, carry our cases? She speaks English better than I do, so there should be no troubles with communication."

Matthew glanced over at another Asian girl, slightly younger than his sister-in-law, stand behind George's wife. Molesley nodded, as he said,

"Very well, my lady."

With that, Maria followed Molesley, as he started to explain to her about how the house worked. Matthew sighed at the newest addition to the servants, but smiled as he walked up to George and his wife as he introduced himself.

"Hello, I'm Matthew, George's older brother."

George smiled as his wife introduced herself, "Hello Matthew. I'm Lilly Crawley."

Matthew shook his head at the fact that his younger brother was married, but before he could say anything else, George said,

"Is mother inside?"

Matthew nodded and led them inside their new home. He noted that Lilly stuck next to George as much as possible, not leaving his side, but he could also sense her awe at the structure that she was looking at. George continued to whisper to her when their mother walked up and exclaimed,

"George? Is that you?"

George chuckled and responded with,

"I'm home, mother."

The older woman smiled and put a hand to his cheek as she said,

"Oh it's been too long. How are you? I think you got thinner, but no matter, you're home now. And, oh, where are my manners? Hello, I'm Isobel, George's mother, you can call me 'Mother' or 'Isobel'."

Lilly blushed a little, but even Isobel could tell that the aura that Lilly exuded was similar to that of Lady Mary in nobility and authority, but the stark difference was that Lilly was humble and almost kind.

"Hello, I'm Lilly. I'm sorry that we arrived late."

With that the two ladies introduced themselves and George joined the conversation, his one arm still around Lilly as he said,

"I'm fine, by the way. Mother, how have you been?"

Isobel smiled at the arrival of her second son, as she said, "Great! Either way, you both must be more exhausted than we are, we will talk a little more later. Go rest, both of you, before we have to go to Downton for dinner."

George looked confused as he said, "Dinner? They invited us to the estate? Whatever for?"

Lilly stood next to George whilst Matthew watched how George seemed to glance towards his wife with worry, as he continued the conversation. And now that Matthew looked more closely at Lilly, she did seem extremely exhausted, and he quickly joined in with,

"I'm supposed to be the heir and get Downton."

George froze and said, "Is that true? Mother, why didn't you say in your letter?"

Isobel smiled and explained, "We wanted it to be a surprise. But more about that later, go rest."

George sighed as he finally nodded and led his wife to their room upstairs. As they were out of sight, Isobel smiled as she said to Matthew,

"You too, we have a lot to do if we are to take a break before we go."

Matthew nodded as he headed up the stairs as well.

~~ ….. ~~

By the time they had to go to Downton, Isobel and Matthew were waiting by the door for George and Lilly. They both heard George and Lilly whispering to each other, their voices showing concern and worry, but the mother and older brother saw that George had persuaded Lilly to hide her worries and attend the dinner with them.

Lilly was in a sky blue dress that complimented her pale complexion. Her hair was done flawlessly, where nobody could find a fault in her fashion sense. Her gloves were white as well to help with the pale, sky blue.

Matthew was momentarily stunned by her beauty and grace, but quickly came out of his reverie as his brother helped her down the stairs, as if she was fragile. It did not appear as if his brother was overly concerned and treated her like his master. Rather, it appeared as if they balanced each other out. Simple with complex, quiet with boisterous, calm with chaos. If anything, Matthew noted that his brother was no longer the fun-loving troublemaker that he used to be. Something about his job in Asia had changed him, made him more taxed, but it was good to see the occasional mischievous smile grow.

When they were altogether, the headed for Downton together. Lilly was nervous, she couldn't help but continuously feel out of place due to her physical appearance. Sure, she could act like the nobility that she was, but her thoughts turned dark at the thought of enjoying the night. She had lost everything and if it had not been for George, she would never have been here.

He had saved her from everything that had happened, and stuck to her through thick and thin. And for that, she had vowed that she would try to fit into the community as much as possible. She learned how the English talked, their culture, their habits. And it irked her in some ways that she had much less power than she used to, but she knew that George would never try to change her and her ideals.

All he had asked her was to live. And live she will. When they finally arrived at the estate, Lilly could not help but tighten her grip on George's arm from the intimidating thought that George's extended family lived in such a grand place. Her heart started to beat faster and faster, as fear and anxiety gripped her tight.

At the entryway, a footman appeared behind her and took her coat. The moment her coat was taken, she gripped George's arm again. He patted her hand gently in concern. She provided him a warm smile as a man approached them.

He came up to them and said,

"Hello again. It's a pleasure to meet you at last, Mrs. Crawley. And George, my fellow, I heard you got married! Is this wonderful woman your wife?"

George and Lilly both tensed at the slightly strained, fake cheery tone he provided them at the talk of their marriage. Lilly squeezed George's arm again to get him started. George smiled as he responded with,

"We're delighted to be here. And this is my beautiful wife, Lilly."

Lilly smiled, not sure what to say. Robert then introduced himself with,

"Call me Robert, or Cousin Robert."

Lilly nodded and said, "Thank you Robert."

Robert smiled, and Lilly provided him with one, when Isobel noticed her daughter-in-law's discomfort and intercepted with,

"We're delighted to be here, aren't we, Matthew?"

Matthew looked at the estate with slight discomfort, not sure how Lilly and George were maintaining their postures. Sure, he noticed their discomfort, but for those who did not know George or were meeting Lilly for the first time would not even have noticed. Rather they both were exuding a controlled authority. Showing that they were not a couple to be messed with, but not enough to threaten Robert's authority.

He hesitantly answered his mother with, "Delighted."

With that, Robert led them into the great hall, where all of the house staff were lined up, waiting, as the rest of the Crawley family entered from a different side. Lilly spotted someone who looked like Robert's wife, Cora, come up to them and say,

"Welcome to Downton."

Isobel smiled and said, "Thank you. You've been so kind."

Lilly noticed the way the daughters looked at George and Matthew, but mostly Matthew. Lilly did notice that some of the servants were looking at her intensely, as if she was an oddity, but she merely ignored it, since she was used to several sets of eyes on her. But the calmness and happy feeling quickly turned awkward when Matthew blurted out,

"What a reception committee."

Everyone quieted down while George snickered at his brother's embarrassment. Lilly slightly looked at him with a warning look, quickly quieting him. Isobel tried to recover the situation with,

"Yes, thank you."

George held back his laughter at his brother's mistake as Robert said,

"This is Carson. We'd all be lost without him. Mama, may I present Matthew Crawley, George Crawley and his wife Lilly Crawley, and Mrs. Crawley, my mother, Lady Grantham."

Isobel stepped forward and held out her hand as she asked,

"What should we call each other?"

The elderly woman looked down at the hand with slight confusion before saying,

"Well, we could always start with Mrs. Crawley and Lady Grantham."

Lilly looked slightly amused at this interaction as Cora stepped forward and said,

"Come into the drawing room and we can make all the proper introductions."

With that, everyone followed Cora into the drawing room, to wait for dinner to be served. By the time dinner started, Lilly was placed next to Robert, who started talking to her,

"So Lilly, how did you meet Cousin George?"

Lilly gently said, "Coming from a noble family, I was walking around for air, looking for certain medications for my grandfather, when George bumped into me by accident."

George heard his name and looked up to find the conversation quieting to listen to their story, so he spoke up,

"Of all things, I was not paying attention when I was trying to run back to my office, and because of that, I knocked down the granddaughter of the most powerful and the richest noble of the country."

Everyone paused at that revelation, shocked at the news. Lilly slightly blushed, but acted like nothing had happened, as George continued telling the story.

"When I tried to help her, everyone in that street almost mobbed me for knocking her down. But luckily, she just laughed it off a joke and continued on her way."

Lilly started to put in her input as she said,

"It was shocking to find an Englishman running around like someone was chasing him, but I let it by since he looked genuinely apologetic once everyone tried to help me. Never had I thought that I would have dropped my handkerchief and he would be bold enough to come to my family's residence."

Matthew chuckled at that, knowing his brother, he must have woken up late. George continued on with,

"It was a small and dainty thing, but I just had to see her one more time, and returning the thing was an excuse. Of course, that's when I started to notice her presence more, until I started to follow her around."

As they continued telling their story, Lilly noticed that Sybil was almost looking at them with admiration. Mary and Edith looked either slightly irritated or bored, and Lilly smiled as they continued on with the dinner. Meanwhile, Robert, Lady Grantham, Carson, and Cora's attitude towards her did altogether change as they warmed up to her. Oh, the wonders of status was a weird thing. Despite her race, they accepted her the moment they realized that she was from a powerful and most-respected family.

Momentarily later, the conversation drifted from the topic of Lilly and George's marriage and Robert turned to Isobel with,

"Do you think you'll enjoy village life? It will be very quiet after life in the city."

Lady Grantham jested with, "Even Manchester."

Lilly watched her mother-in-law give a confident response, "I'm sure I'll find something to keep me busy."

Cora joined in, with, "You might like the hospital."

Lilly watched the Isobel's eyes brighten with, "What sort of hospital is it? How many beds?"

Lady Grantham huffed a little as she said, "Well, it—it isn't really a hospital."

Lilly was amused at the sight of Cousin Robert chuckle at that and answer with,

"Don't let Dr. Clarkson hear you. He thinks it's second only to St. Thomas's."

Lilly just continued watching as Cora inputted,

"It's a cottage hospital, of course, but quite well equipped."

Isobel's interest grew even further as she asked,

"Who pays for it?"

Lilly grimaced at Lady Grantham's comment, "Oh good. Let's talk about money."

Robert heard it as well as he tried to cover for his mother with,

"My father gave the building and an endowment to run it. In a way, he set up his own memorial."

Nobody commented except for Isobel, who said, "But how splendid."

Lilly put down her silverware, now intently listening as Robert said,

"And Mr. Lloyd George's new insurance measures will help."

Lady Grantham groaned out,

"Please don't speak that man's name, we are about to eat."

With that, the food started to get passed around to everyone, when Lilly noticed George glaring at a footman, who seemed to say something to Matthew.

But before anyone else could say something, Mary haughtily said,

"You'll soon get used to the way things are done here."

Matthew begrudgingly said, "If you mean that I'm accustomed to a very different life from this, then that is true."

Sybil gave a look to her sister before asking,

"What will you do with your time?"

Matthew smiled gratefully and answered her with, "I've got a job in Ripon. I said I'll start tomorrow."

Robert paused from his eating when he tensed and asked with disbelief, "A job?"

Lilly looked up at Robert, unsure if that was uncommon in this country. Back at her place, when it was peaceful, all men, especially with a higher status held respectable jobs. She eyed George, who shook his head gently as Matthew responded with,

"In a partnership. You might have heard of it, Havel and Carter. They need someone who understands industrial law, I'm glad to say. Although, I'm afraid most of it will be wills and conveyancing."

Lilly gently held her silverware, as Robert sighed and said,

"You do know I mean to involve you in the running of the estate?"

Matthew smiled at that and said, "Oh, don't worry. There are plenty of hours in the day. And, of course, I'll have the weekend."

Robert resumed his eating, and Lilly could sense his great irritation at the thought of Matthew working separately, as he bit out,

"We'll discuss this later. We mustn't bore the ladies."

Lilly heard Lady Grantham ask, "What—what is a weekend?"

If Lilly had not been married to George, she would not have known what that was either, and had to hold back her amusement at this thought. Maybe things would get better for both her and George here.

Dinner ended and Lilly was with George getting ready to home, when they both heard Isobel say to Cora,

"I'm so interested to see the hospital."

George smiled and whispered to her, "I'm assuming mother and Lady Grantham to start a brawl sooner or later."

Lilly smiled as she responded with, "I know that it will happen. And yet, I feel as if they will be the best of friends despite circumstances."

George raised an eyebrow at her, not sure what his wife was thinking when Isobel walked up to them with a slight determination and headed for home. George then offered his arm to his wife, and the sight of the couple made Cora smile as she and Robert watched them leave.

As the door closed, Cora commented,

"It is surprising that the little troublemaker we had met so many years ago married the richest and most powerful, available woman of a different country. I wonder if we will hear news of a baby soon."

Robert chuckled and said, "Perhaps. But even if not, I am sure that they have something in mind. Now, let's go to bed."

With that, the night ended and Lilly slept peacefully for the first time in a long while.


	2. Getting to Know Each Other

**A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who has loved this story so far! I am really honored about people becoming interested in this and wanted to thank you all so, so much.**

**This chapter will hold some sad details (which I made as historically accurate to how the period was). **

**Some of you did ask about Korean history, and why George couldn't go back, so it will be answered in this chapter. **

**railey: Thank you so, so much for your love and support! I hope I could answer your question sufficiently enough with this chapter!**

** 2: In the show, there was a scene where Matthew supposedly met Robert before the whole plot, so I took that as a reference and added George into it as well. I'm not sure how accurate that is, but I didn't want George hanging in the background. Thank you for your love and support, and please continue to support this story!**

**eyeon: I hope I answered as many questions I could. There will be more references to Lilly's past in the future chapters, so please wait and see! Thank you so much for your support!**

**And everyone, please remember that I only own my OCs George and Lilly and Maria. I don't own anything else, that rightfully belongs to PBS and creators of Downton Abbey.**

Chapter 2: Getting to Know Each Other

With their arrivals, the Crawleys were quickly adjusting to the life of their new home. George had found a separate job nearby as a lawyer in a different place from Matthew, not wanting to inconvenience his older brother. Meanwhile, Lilly managed their lives from the Crawley house, making sure that everything was set and Maria was getting used to everything as well.

Molesley quickly found that he rather liked Master George's wife and lady's maid, as they were both used to a certain lifestyle that fit with the lavish life of Downton. But one thing he had been uncomfortable about was Matthew. Because Matthew, despite being the heir to Downton, wanted to do everything by himself. This left Molesley to look after George, who apologized to the butler/valet about the whole mess with his brother and that he would try to convince Matthew about it.

Days passed and the Crawley family got adjusted to the move, and Isobel noticed that Lilly, if not staying at home sewing something, did not do much, and decided to ask her questions.

One afternoon, they were the only two left in the homes and she asked during their tea time,

"What do you like to do in your free time?"

Lilly drank the tea and set her cup down as she responded with, "I prefer to read and sew things, but I'm not sure about other activities."

Isobel found that despite everything, Lilly still found her interactions awkward with her, and when she had asked about it to George, he had said that her culture was told to treat the elders with utmost respect, and that since Isobel was her mother-in-law, it was hard, even more so to call her by her name since that was not a thing younger people did in their culture.

Upon hearing the response, Isobel decided that she would try to get to know Lilly better, so she said,

"If you would like, would you terribly mind joining me in visiting the hospital today?"

Lilly paused for a moment, a curious look in her eyes as she asked, "The hospital? Wouldn't I be intruding?"

Isobel smiled at that comment and said, "I'm sure we can figure something out."

Lilly nodded and responded, "I would love to."

Despite everything, Lilly recognized her mother-in-law's efforts to make her comfortable and her determination to make Lilly not the gossip of the town, so she couldn't find a reason to say no. And after all, what harm could a single visit to the hospital do if it entertained her mother-in-law?

Isobel smiled and said, "Glad to hear. Let's get ready to go then."

Lilly looked up in surprise and asked, "Now?"

She glanced at the clock, noticing that it was, indeed probably the only time that would be good enough to go and visit, so she stood up to get ready. Molesley walked in and Isobel turned to ask,

"Molesley, we will be heading to meet Dr. Clarkson for a bit. Would you clean this up for us?"

Molesley nodded to acknowledge this request and he looked towards Lilly, who smiled and said, "Could you call for Maria as well? I need her to help me change."

"Very well, my lady." He said, as he walked towards the kitchen, where Maria was having a conversation with the cook about potential errands.

Lilly changed into a navy-blue skirt and coat appropriate to wear, and had her hair done for going outside. She had sky blue shirt underneath the coat to make it bland, along with a matching navy-blue hat. Once she was done, she waited by the door for Isobel, who arrived about two minutes later. Isobel led her to the hospital. Throughout their walk, people looked over to Lilly in surprise, but both women ignored it.

Once they arrived, they were led to Dr. Clarkson, who came out to greet them. He smiled at both of them, having heard of the Asian woman that George Crawley had married. He introduced himself and led them throughout the hospital, as he said,

"It's kind of you to take an interest."

Lilly followed the two older people as her mother-in-law said, "I'm afraid it's a case of the war horse in the drought. You know my late husband was a doctor."

Dr. Clarkson nodded as he said, "I do. I'm familiar with Dr. Crawley's work on the symptoms of infection in children."

Isobel added, "Ah. Even I studied nursing during the South African war."

That surprised Dr. Clarkson as he commented with slight shock, "Really?"

Lilly watched a nurse escort a weeping woman out of a ward, and Dr. Clarkson sighed as he said,

"Very distressing. A young farmer, John Drake, a tenant of Lord Grantham's, came in today. It's dropsy, I'm afraid."

Lilly peered around his shoulder to see the man with swollen legs and a pale face. She felt pity for the man as her mother-in-law asked the doctor,

"May I see him?"

The Doctor glanced at Lilly, who looked curious as well at her mother-in-law's request and nodded to the older woman as he said,

"Yes. By all means."

With that, Isobel walked around the screen to get a closer look at the man and asked gently,

"Is the dropsy of the liver or the heart?"

Dr. Clarkson regretfully said, "Everything points to the heart."

Lilly stood by patiently as she stepped back a little, not wanting to see a man in pain much longer. It reminded her too much of the past and the reason why she was here. She heard the Doctor say to the patient,

"All right, Mr. Drake, you're in safe hands now."

Isobel asked him, "What will happen to his wife?"

Lilly watched the man eye her warily, and she nodded, assuring him that it would not be too much for her to listen to. He hesitated before stating,

"She may try to keep the farm on. Lord Grantham is not a harsh landlord, but her children are young."

Isobel looked sympathetic at that as she asked, "What can I do to help?"

Dr. Clarkson looked at both women in surprise, and Lilly smiled at that, she had a passionate woman as her mother-in-law, that was one thing she guessed that she had shared with the woman.

Seeing both Dr. Clarkson's surprise and Lilly's amusement, Isobel said,

"If I'm to live in this village, I must have an occupation. Please, let me be useful."

Dr. Clarkson hesitated to respond, before Lilly said, "Dr. Clarkson, I think you will find that it would be more beneficial for you to let her help. Otherwise, I think my mother-in-law would find some way to do it herself, which I would support completely."

The poor Doctor sighed and said, "Very well. Come in tomorrow, and we can discuss this properly."

Isobel smugly nodded and thanked him with, "Thank you Dr. Clarkson. I will see you tomorrow."

With that, she walked out of the hospital with Lilly in tow, who could only hold back a chuckle that bubbled up at how passionate the woman was. Later on, they were at the house and Lilly had been sewing a handkerchief again, a beautiful set of flowers red peony flowers on white silk. It was almost finished when the Countess and Dowager Countess visited. She quickly put down her embroidery and she asked Molesley for tea and cakes. He quickly nodded and stepped down to get those items, as the ladies seated themselves comfortably as Lilly sat next to Isobel.

Cora glanced at her embroidery and asked, "What's that?"

Lilly gently flipped her embroidery over and showed Cora her work as she answered,

"It's a handkerchief I was making for Isobel, as a gift."

Cousin Violet then curiously looked at her work before smiling and said, "Dear, you have a great talent with embroidery. Would it be too much to ask for one for me as well?"

Isobel glanced over at Violet with surprise, whilst Lilly blushed at the compliment before nodding. Then Molesley arrived with the tea, and started to hand them out to everyone. Cora noticed how Lilly looked a little awkward with their visit and asked,

"How are you adjusting Lilly? It must have been quite difficult trip to come to England."

Lilly thanked Molesley before responding with,

"It was quite the travel for sure. But George helped me along the way. It was a rather difficult trip for me since they had trouble believing I was George's wife and the paperwork, but luckily, George's boss helped us get through."

Cora frowned and asked, "Why? Surely they should have believed you."

Lilly sighed as she hesitated before gently saying,

"I… my country is now under Japanese control. You could call it colonialism… but, for George and I, it was a rather urgent affair or us to move out. Being from the strongest family in the country other than the royals puts a rather large target on your back."

Cora and Violet glanced at each other warily, noticing how Lilly's voice laced with hidden grief. Isobel took note of it and decided to ask George about it later, when Matthew walked into the room. Isobel decided that it was a nice distraction from the dark topic and said,

"Ah, there you are, dear. I was hoping you'd be home in time."

That was when George rushed in as well, stating,

"I had to practically drag brother over here, mama. Ah, how are you dear?"

With that, he patted Lilly's shoulder gently, as she responded, "Good. Please, sit down, I can tell you ran back here."

Violet looked at the couple with a warm look, happy that they were so in love when Matthew interrupted with confusion,

"In time for what?"

Isobel spoke up with, "Lilly and I've been paid the compliment of a visit."

That was when Matthew and George blushed, not having noticed their guests, and both said, "Hello."

Cora warmheartedly greeted them with, "Good afternoon, Cousin Matthew, Cousin George."

Violet added in a slight terse, but kind, "Afternoon."

George sat down and Molesley quietly asked him, "A cup of tea sir?"

George nodded and Molesley served him, which the two guests noticed. They noticed how George acted more self-consciously around the servants, as if reminding himself that he had servants to do things for him now. Cora then decided to start a conversation, trying to hide the real talk that they had with,

"We were just saying how charming this room is now."

Violet looked around as she added,

"Mmm… it always seemed rather dark when my mother-in-law lived here. But then she made everything rather dark."

With that, she chuckled at her own memories, causing Lilly to smile a little. Molesley then offered Matthew a tray of tea cakes when Matthew rejected it with,

"No, thank you."

George resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his brother while Lilly and every other woman in the room worriedly glanced at poor Molesley as he shakily asked Matthew,

"Cup…. Cup of tea, sir?"

Matthew, oblivious to everyone else's shock, blatantly stated, "It's alright. I'll help myself."

Lilly glanced at her husband with slight disbelief, and George shook his head, stating that he would talk with his brother after, when Violet quickly tried to fix the situation with,

"So, Molesley, how do you find being home again? Your father must be glad you're back."

Molesley tensely smiled as he answered her with, "He is, your Ladyship."

Matthew took one of the teacakes from the tray Molesley was holding and Lilly winced along with everyone else while Isobel sighed, causing Violet to interject with,

"Might I give you this cup?"

Molesley immediately reacted with, "Ma'am" and helped her with it. With that, Violet awkwardly stood up and said,

"I'm afraid we must be going."

Lilly and Isobel stood with Cora, as Violet thanked them and Cora asked them both,

"You'll think about it?"

Isobel and Lilly nodded, causing George to whisper to her ear after they left, "Think about what?"

Lilly smiled knowing and whispered back to him, "Something regarding Matthew. And now, my dear husband, you are going to have to get out of that suit, and then talk with your dear brother."

George sighed and said, "Can't we just have a moment alone?"

Lilly blushed as she looked around, seeing that Isobel had gone into the living room to scold her eldest son. She then gave George a peck on the cheek as she whispered back to him,

"No. Not now. And anyway, I have a feeling… We should tell your mother at least… the truth about why we came back in such a hurry. I don't feel good about not telling her."

George's smile immediately dropped at that as he said, "She doesn't need that information. Lilly, I don't want her to know about…"

Lilly saw the stress come to George's features and Lilly teared up at the slight reminder of the difficult time that both of them endured as she said,

"It's not right to hide it from them. Especially your family."

George sighed and said, "Let's… let's wait on that. I don't want to just spring it on them tonight. We also need to talk about what we will say to them if we do. If they knew everything, I feel as if mother, though understanding, would try to do something drastic to help you."

Lilly sighed, knowing his worry as she nodded and said, "Then we will wait."

George hugged her gently before saying,

"I will go wash up."

Lilly nodded and watched him go upstairs to go change. With that, the day passed without too many incidents, but when night came, Lilly was in her nightgown and her hair in a loose braid. She lied down in the bed, as George sat down next to her, before saying,

"I… I don't want to tell them about your time in prison."

Lilly sighed and said, "That I can agree with. But what about...?"

George paused, knowing about what she was asking and said, "We should tell her about him."

Lilly went over to him, needing his comfort as she whispered,

"I… I love you, you know that?"

George wrapped his arms around her as he kissed her forehead and said, "I love you too. And know this, I will do everything I can to protect you. Whatever it takes."

Lilly hugged him tightly as she sobbed out, "I miss them. I… I feel so guilty. So guilty about everything that took place, guilty for dragging you into my mess…"

George gently lifted her chin so she looked up at him as he looked at her with determination as he said,

"Never feel guilty about that. You are a survivor. And we came to England to lead a peaceful life. Please, say that you are happy that we are here. I want you to be happy."

He wiped tears off of her face as Lilly said, "I am grateful and happy. I am learning to be happier, but George, you are the one to make me happy. I can live through this as long as you are by my side, always."

George felt his heart tug in love for the woman by his side as he kissed her on the lips gently. It was a small and gentle kiss, and afterwards, he said to his wife in broken Korean,

"I believe in the same, my love."

Lilly smiled at him sadly as she kissed him once more, before they both retired to bed, deciding it was better to sleep.

~~ ….. ~~

The next day, George had a day off, and decided to keep his wife company, leaving his mother to do what she wanted alone for the day. He contentedly read his book while Lilly was embroidering again, trying to finish the handkerchief that she was doing. After a few hours, Molesley came in to serve them tea. He personally liked the husband and wife, and George was a much better person to be a valet for.

What he couldn't do for Matthew, he could do for George. Normally, he would have done the job for both sons, but it still gave him something to do. Master George was a generous man, and he liked the conversations both of them shared, as the young man was a cheerful and lovely fellow that liked to, despite Molesley's protests, brought him a gift from time to time, stating every time,

"Take it as a bribe for being my valet and having to deal with my irresponsible older brother. Sometimes, I wonder how I am the younger one. But I guess I have to thank my wife for this."

Molesley was helping them out, when he noticed that Lilly's eyes brighten and she excitedly cut a piece of threat and bring out the final product.

Lilly then noticed him curiously glance at what she was doing and chuckled as she asked him,

"What do you think, Molesley? Do you think my mother-in-law would like this?"

Molesley saw the finished work and gasped at how life-like the embroidered flowers were and nodded as he said,

"I think she would love it, my lady."

Lilly nodded gratefully as Molesley saw that her cup was empty. Lilly noticed where he was looking and asked him,

"Maybe one more cup of that jasmine tea, Molesley?"

The butler nodded and helped her out. George had watched this interaction as he closed his book and said,

"Congratulations on finishing the first of many embroideries. Are you sure you were that lively noble lady running around everywhere?"

Lilly glared at him playfully as she said, "Oh George, you would be surprised at what tricks I have up my sleeves."

George laughed at that and said, "Be careful, poor Molesley will have a heart attack if you say anymore."

Indeed, Molesley had blushed at the comment Lilly had made, and the woman raised an eyebrow which quickly made him clear his throat awkwardly before running about to find something else to do.

This made the couple laugh as they enjoyed their time together.

Later that evening, Lilly and George prepared to go to Downton for dinner, having been invited alongside Matthew and Isobel. George had already finished changing with Molesley's help and was waiting for his older brother, when he heard poor Molesley ask,

"May I…?"

Matthew's voice was heard across the door as he said, "I can manage. Now, where have I put my cufflinks?"

And with that, the conversation went downhill, and George heard Matthew say,

"I know I'm a disappointment to you, Molesley, but it's no good. I'll never get used to being dressed like a doll like my brother has."

Molesley stumbled, clearly not sure how to respond without sounding completely offended as he replied,

"I'm only trying to help, sir."

Matthew looked slightly ashamed at that, but continued to say,

"Of course. And if I've offended you, I apologize. But surely, you have better things to do."

George knocked and asked, "You decent yet, Matthew?"

Matthew sighed as he said, "Come in!"

Molesley watched George step in and look at the butler with an apologetic glance as he said,

"Matthew, stop terrorizing Molesley, it's his job."

Matthew sighed as he started to put his own tailcoat on and say,

"Well, it seems a very silly occupation for a grown man."

George looked at him with disbelief and Molesley froze at that statement. George immediately stepped in by saying, "Mr. Molesley, I'm sorry for my brother's ignorant comment. But if it helps you, I'll pay you myself for your services to be my valet."

Mr. Molesley swallowed as he quietly said, "Thank you Master George."

George nodded to Molesley, indicating that he could leave the room, and Molesley rushed out. When the door clicked, signaling that it had closed, George sighed heavily as he said to his brother,

"Matthew, as much as I understand where this attitude is coming from, can't you at least entertain him? He is getting paid for this, you know?"

Matthew looked at his younger brother, who looked irritated with this situation, and said,

"I don't want to conform to their standards, George. You were worse off than I was, what changed?"

George responded with, "My wife. I changed for my wife. Especially because she was the one who taught me that these people are earning their livelihood with this job, like we did ours. He is a good valet you know, just let him do his money's worth. He clearly is a hard worker."

Matthew shook his head and said,

"Look, regardless, he is helping you, and I don't need that. Let's go, we're going to be late."

Lilly and Isobel were waiting downstairs, and George walked up to his wife, subtly shaking his head. Lilly glanced worriedly at Matthew, before sighing and following them to the car that was waiting for them.

By the time they arrived and were seated in the dining room, food was being served. Lilly was placed next to Sybil this time, who excitedly asked her various questions such as 'what is life like in Korea' and 'what can women do in the country'. Lilly tried her best to answer without revealing the darker parts of what she experienced when Robert decided to start a collective conversation by asking Isobel,

"Have you been able to explore the village?"

Isobel nodded as she answered, "Indeed, I have. And I thought the hospital a great credit to your father's memory. But I'm afraid the good doctor and I did not see eye to eye."

Everyone looked at Isobel with interest, but Violet was the one to say something as she chuckled out,

"Oh, you amaze me."

Isobel looked warily at the other woman as she said defensively,

"He is treating one of your tenants, John Drake, for dropsy, but seems reluctant to embrace some of the newer treatments."

Robert knew where this was going, as he tried to mediate the situation with,

"Drake is a good man, and far too young to die, but I suppose the doctor knows his business."

But his efforts were in vain, when his mother sarcastically added,

"Not as well as Mrs. Crawley, apparently."

Lilly and George, along with Matthew saw Isobel's impatience grow on her features, and Robert once again stepped in by looking at both George and Matthew with,

"By the way, if you two ever want to ride, just let Lynch know and he'll sort it out for you."

Mary tauntingly commented, "Oh, Papa, Cousin Matthew doesn't ride."

George shared a glance with his wife, who glanced at Matthew before shaking her head slightly to not comment as Matthew said defensively,

"I ride."

Mary did not back down as she then questioned him with, "And do you hunt?"

Matthew deflated a little at that and admitted, "No, I don't hunt."

Violet tried to salvage the situation with, "I daresay there's not much opportunity in Manchester."

Lilly internally winced at the awkward chuckle and Matthew's question

"Are you a hunting family?"

Mary smiled, which looked almost evil to Lilly's eyes as she smugly answered,

"Families like ours are always hunting families."

Robert glanced at Cora before interjecting with,

"Not always. Billy Skelton won't have them on his land."

Everybody except Matthew realized the insult and winced. That was when Matthew gathered his courage and asked her,

"Do you hunt?"

Mary smiled smugly at him and said, "Occasionally. I suppose you're more interested in books than country sport."

Matthew bitterly smiled at her as he said, "I probably am. The sporty one always was George. You'll tell me that's rather unhealthy."

Mary looked around to see the scolding looks of her parents and withered a little as she said,

"Not unhealthy. Just unusual… among our kind of people."

Lilly froze a little at the snob-like tone that she still maintained and George winced at the subtle insult towards his family. Isobel glanced towards Violet, Cora, and Robert, who decently looked embarrassed for Mary's attitude.

As dinner continued, the awkward air that was surrounding them only continued to grow as Mary continued to attack Matthew by asking,

"I've been studying the story of Andromeda, do you know it?"

Matthew looked up hesitantly and asked, "Why?"

George wanted to glare at Mary, but was holding back the hostility he was feeling as Mary said,

"Her father was King Cepheus, whose country was being ravaged by storms, and in the end, he decided the only way to appease the gods was to sacrifice his eldest daughter to a hideous sea monster. So, they chained her naked to a rock…"

Lilly tensed at the story, not sure she was liking where the discussion seemed to be going as Violet awkwardly commented,

"Really? Mary, we'll all need our smelling salts in a minute."

Matthew irritably responded with, "But the sea monster didn't get her, did he?"

Edith and Sybil glanced at George and Lilly, who were trying their best to hide their grimaces while Mary said,

"No. Just when it seemed he was the only solution to her father's problems, she was rescued."

Matthew answered with, "By Perseus."

Mary slightly hesitated before responding with, "That's right. Perseus, son of a god. Rather more fitting, wouldn't you say?"

Matthew responded bitterly, "That depends. I'd have to know more about the princess and the sea monster in question."

The people at the table quieted at that, not sure how to recover the dinner due to Mary's haughty behavior.

Once the dinner was over, they tried to talk about other things, and it wasn't reparable and eventually the Crawley family decided to depart early. Violet caught up to them, especially Matthew as she apologized in Mary's stead,

"I'm sorry Mary was rather sharp this evening."

Matthew chuckled as he answered her, "I doubt Cousin Mary and I are destined to be close friends."

Violet hummed at that as Matthew continued with,

"I don't blame her. Her father's home and her fortune are to be passed to me. It's very harsh."

This caused Violet to frown as she asked gently,

"What would you say if the entail was set aside in Mary's favour?"

Matthew understood where she was coming from and admitted, "I should try to accept it with as good a grace as I could muster."

Violet seemed to have settled her liking for the younger man as she asked, "Would you?"

And that was when she spotted her chauffeur, and went towards her motorcar, leaving Matthew to ponder more deeply about the conversation he had just shared with the Dowager Countess of Grantham.

As the night closed and the Crawleys arrived at their home, George stopped his mother and Matthew and said,

"Before you both go up to bed, there's something Lilly and I need to tell you."

Both Matthew and Isobel looked at each other before Isobel asked,

"Can this wait until tomorrow morning?"

George hesitated, but Lilly squeezed his hand as she responded,

"I'm afraid not. It's about why we came here in such a hurry."

Matthew raised an eyebrow at his younger brother as he then realized an underlying seriousness in George's eyes and sighed as he said,

"I should go ask Molesley for some tea. I have a feeling we are going to need it."

George nodded and everyone but Matthew went to the living room. Once everyone settled down, and Molesley was excused for the night, and Maria was brought up due to the sensitivity of the information going to be shared, Isobel and Matthew realized the solemn mood of the couple.

Isobel tried to brighten the mood a little bit as she finally asked lightheartedly, "Well, what would you like to share with us?"

George bit his lip and finally sighed as he said, "Mother… Matthew, Lilly and I, though we were given permission to come back, we more or less fled from the country."

Both mother and brother tensed at that revelation, before Matthew cautiously asked, "What?! Even so, what happened?"

Lilly took in a shaky breath and George grasped her hand to comfort her as she said,

"It's my fault really. We told you that I came from the most powerful and richest noble family. That was true, but despite all that, my family no longer technically is. Yes, I got the inheritance and would still be rich enough to buy the country itself, but we lost the power… and much more."

George tensed and tried to hide his grief, but it did not go unnoticed by Isobel, who was listening more in-depth as she asked in a shocked tone,

"What?"

George tried to soften the blow with, "The country, as you know from my former letters, was a battlefield of England, America, France, Russia, and Japan trying to take over, but eventually, the right to colonialism was handed over to Japan."

Matthew nodded and said, "Yes, we know that. But what happened?"

George continued for his wife by saying,

"Basically, I omitted the fact that Japan has become brutal. I haven't seen anything like it. Those who went against their rule were ripped from their homes, imprisoned, and some sold to what could be akin to slavery. We believed that Lilly and her family would not be involved, but when her grandfather, the head of the family, refused to bow down to the Japanese power, it… it didn't end well. Especially when Japan accused her family of providing money for those fighting against Japanese colonialism."

Isobel and Matthew tensed, as they looked at Lilly. She struggled to come up with words, but eventually said,

"At that point, George and I had already married, and… my grandfather had decided to provide me with all the inheritance, asking George to bring me to England. Already, we had prepared to leave, making me a citizen under England. And because of the marriage, it was easier to make it that way, along with…"

Lilly could not finish the sentence and George did it for her as he admitted with grief,

"Mama… we had a son."

Isobel gasped at that, not knowing what to say and Matthew tensed. The fact that she had a grandson that she did not know about was shocking to Isobel, but the lack of a baby's presence signified something greater based on the story as she asked sadly,

"What? What happened?"

Lilly stuttered a little as she tried to regain her composure and said,

"The soldiers came in and destroyed our home, claiming that we had to empty the place for the benefit of a railroad to Russia. My grandfather died, and during his funeral, they came back and started to slaughter everyone and arrest those they suspected of helping the independence movement. I was there to support my mother, looking after our son… when they had barged in. That was when… that was when we lost Adam."

Isobel's heart broke and Matthew could not help but make a fist in rage at the thought of such mindless assault, when George said,

"When I heard what was happening, I rushed to her home, but it was in ruins, and… when I found Lilly… it was bad. Luckily, she had all her money and Maria, who had came to me for help. I hid them both at the English delegation before both of us rushed over here."

Isobel saw both George and Lilly give them haunted looks that she had seen countless times from parents who had lost their child. She had never imagined that her second son would have that same expression on his face, and rushed over to her son, giving him a hug as she muttered,

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

Lilly saw the interaction and broke out in tears, as she couldn't help herself, causing George to hug her immediately as he said,

"Maria, would you help Lady Lilly upstairs? She needs to rest."

Lilly would normally have protested, but she merely nodded that night, needing Maria to help her through with this. As the Crawleys watched the two Asian women walk away, Matthew whispered,

"I never thought… I'm so sorry."

George sighed, tears threatening to spill out as he admitted,

"I'm sorry mama… but, there is one story that I haven't told you or Matthew yet. I couldn't tell it in front of Lilly, and I ask both of you to never mention it to anyone."

Isobel and Matthew both nodded, swallowing thickly in dread, as George told the story.

"When I got to the house, Lilly wasn't there. By that time, she had been one of the few surviving members of the family that had been arrested."

Both elder Crawleys tensed at that news, as George said, "I managed to get her out with the help of my boss and the paperwork suggesting she was an English citizen, but by the time she was released, she had been tortured for information that she did not have. I cannot tell you any more of the story, but please, look out for her. She has been frail since she was released."

Isobel nodded as she shakily said, "We promise. And George, this does not change how much we love you both. Rather, it makes it that much stronger, knowing that both of you survived."

George tiredly nodded, and excused himself to go to his wife, needing to see her. That left Isobel and Matthew to contemplate what they had told them. Matthew stiffly stood, emotions being in turmoil as he wished his mother good night. Isobel looked out the window, as her heart broke for her younger son and his wife, not believing that the poor girl had lost all of her family and her son on top of it all in such a short time, being forced to move to a different country to live.

She felt the bitterness settle in, and decided that she would help Lilly and George have a happy life here as much as she could.

~~ ….. ~~

The next day, Lilly was invited to Downton for the day with George, as it was the weekend, and they were at the library in the afternoon, having heard of Isobel's endeavors. As they had tea, Cousin Robert said,

"You don't have to worry. She may be president, but I'm the patron, so you're quite safe with me."

Matthew got some refreshments as George helped his wife, as the older Crawley brother asked,

"My mother was right, then? The man's life was saved?"

Dr. Clarkson shifted a little, as he said, "Well, I—I like to think that we were both right, but I'm not sure Lady Grantham will be so easily convinced."

Robert chuckled as he said,

"Then we must strengthen the argument. Cousin Isobel wants something to do. Very well. Let's make her chairman of the board. She'd like that, wouldn't she?"

Matthew chuckled and George just snickered as they both said, "Certainly she would."

Robert smiled at both brothers as he said, "Then my mother will have to listen to her."

Lilly glanced at the poor doctor, who fidgeted uncomfortably and said, "I wish you the best of luck, Dr. Clarkson."

Robert saw how the doctor looked like he had something to say, and asked him,

"What were you going to say?"

Clarkson sighed and chuckled as he said, "At the risk of being impertinent… on your own head be it."

Everyone chuckled and Lilly felt a bit more comfortable around Cousin Robert. Not wanting to overstay their welcome, George and Lilly left before dinner, and Matthew remained back as he talked with Robert.

And a few days later, the event of naming Isobel chairwoman came to be, and Lilly, George, and Matthew were all in the audience, smiling at how proud Isobel looked to be there as Dr. Clarkson said,

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to this happy event: the investiture of our first chairwoman, Mrs. Reginald Crawley, who has graciously agreed to share the duties of our beloved president, the Dowager Countess of Grantham."

Violet shifted a little, tensely smiling at the applause, as Dr. Clarkson continued with,

"Our little hospital must surely grow and thrive with two such doughty champions united as they are by the strongest ties of all, family… and friendship."

Lilly clapped lightly, amused at the way both women glanced awkwardly at each other and George's chuckling at how ironic the whole situation was. And in the back of her mind, Lilly couldn't help but be curious as to how their friendship will indeed, develop.


	3. Pamuk

Chapter 3: Pamuk

Lilly was sewing again after dinner, finishing up the embroidery design for Cousin Violet, while George and Matthew were discussing a case, as Isobel mentioned the letter,

"She asks if we can both dine on Saturday. There are two young men staying, so you two won't be outnumbered for once."

Matthew seemed to bristle at the mention of others as he asked, "What men?"

Isobel adjusted her glasses as she read,

"A… Turkish diplomat called something I can't read, and 'Lord Branksome's charming son', who's to be flung at Mary, presumably."

Lilly looked towards her brother-in-law with interest, whilst George smirked at his brother while Matthew said,

"When it comes to Cousin Mary, she's quite capable of doing her own flinging, I assure you."

Lilly and Isobel looked at each other with amused looks whilst George struggled to keep his laughter in. Lilly finished the general outline of the embroidery and set the handkerchief down as she asked Matthew and her husband,

"Are you two going to ride tomorrow?"

George looked curiously at his wife and asked, "Will you?"

Lilly shook her head as she said, "No, I don't think I will. I want to look at the library."

George smiled and said, "Then I'll join you."

Matthew didn't fail to notice the blush on Lilly's face as she smiled, but didn't say anything to that, and he added,

"Well then, maybe I will take a look as well. Either way, I do have other things to do, so I won't be able to ride."

George sighed, already knowing what that was, while Lilly looked over curiously, but didn't comment.

~~ ….. ~~

Once Saturday hit, Lilly and George had visited the estate, as Cora had invited them for tea and to look at the library. The couple were looking at various novels as they silently conversed when tea came in and Cora asked them to sit down.

Lilly and George both sat on a sofa together as Cora asked,

"How are you adjusting to Downton Lilly?"

Lilly smiled at her and said, "I am getting to know the place better. And thanks to George, it's not that difficult to adjust."

Cora nodded, noticing how George looked at his wife lovingly, reminding her of Robert and herself when they were younger, before stating,

"Well, I was hoping to ask you about something regarding Matthew."

George's attention was brought to the older woman at that, as he asked, "Is this about him and Mary?"

Cora looked around slightly in wariness as she admitted, "Well… yes. I hope I'm not being too crude about that."

George shook his head and chuckled, making Cora relax as he said, "Oh no. Lilly and I think they would make a good match. The problem is that Matthew is too stubborn about our world to let go and see what could potentially happen."

Cora let out a relieved breath as Lilly admitted, "We would try to help, but I don't know how much we could do."

Cora shook her head and said, "Let's wait and see."

After that, an awkward pause settled in when Cora looked over to Lilly and asked curiously,

"So, I heard from Cousin Isobel that you married a while ago. I was thinking if you were interested in having children."

George and Lilly both instantly tensed, a sharp pang stabbing their hearts at the reminder of their lost child. George fidgeted in his seat slightly as he wasn't sure what to state, when Lilly whispered out,

"We… did. But we lost our child due to unforeseen circumstances."

Cora immediately felt guilty about the question and apologized, which George and Lilly nodded, before they awkwardly rushed out of the estate, not able to handle the emotional pain and not wanting to deal with the potential prying from the woman.

Cora watched them leave quickly, as if they were escaping, and felt bad about bringing up that topic. And as they walked away, Cora promised to treat the couple as if they were her own family.

That night, Lilly prepared herself for the dinner having finished making the handkerchief for Cousin Violet. As they were being served, Cousin Violet ranted, probably as gently as she could,

"I don't understand. Why—why would she want to be a secretary?"

Lilly glanced at Evelyn, who sat on her left, as he glanced back at her and nervously smiled, not sure how to interact with the conversation, as Matthew boldly responded,

"She wants a different life."

Lilly saw George passionately cut into his meal, seemingly aggravated with Matthew's tendencies to butt into the conversation with his own arguments, as Cousin Violet stated,

"But why? I should far prefer to be a maid in a large and pleasant house than work from dawn till dusk in a cramped and gloomy office. Don't you agree, Carson?"

Lilly glanced as the older man tensed whilst serving food, and hesitantly answered, "I do, my lady."

Cousin Violet smugly smiled when Mary asked with an irritated tone, "Why are we talking about this? What does it matter?"

Lilly heard Cora from her right side, state, "It matters that the people that live and work here are content."

Sybil smiled and tried to diffuse the situation as she said, "Of course. We should be helping Gwen if that's what she wants."

Isobel nodded and added, "I agree. Surely we must all encourage those less fortunate to improve their lot where they can."

Violet groaned, "Not if it isn't in their best interests."

George looked towards Lilly, who noticed how he had a look of wanting to leave the room. Lilly subtly shook her head, trying to make sure that he didn't run away as Isobel added,

"Isn't the maid a better judge of that than we are?"

Mary turned to Kemal Pamuk, as she asked him flirtatiously, "What do you say, Mr. Pamuk? Should our housemaid be kept enslaved or forced out into the world?"

Lilly winced at how openly flirtatious Mary was as Pamuk smiled at her 'dashingly' as he answered with,

"Why are you English so curious about other people's lives? If she wishes to leave, and the law permits it, then let her go."

Violet looked towards Lilly and asked her, "And how about you, Lilly, as a foreigner yourself?"

Lilly's eyes widened and she paused as she thought on how to best answer, and managed to state,

"I think that if the housemaid has decided that she truly wishes to leave service, it is up to her. Whatever happens is her decision and the consequences will be on her. If she still likes it, then she's done well enough for herself. We don't really have control over what she does in regards to her career if she does leave on her own volition."

Isobel smiled proudly at her, along with George, who understood how difficult it was for his wife to say that. After all, her family had people in service who, mostly wanted to be there, but he knew of other places where it was more a slave-contract than anything else. Lilly had grown up in that culture where she could command things, and her words just now showed how much she was trying to learn the English culture.

Violet sighed, as she said, "But perhaps the law should not permit it, for the common good."

Isobel sighed as she commented, "So, you hanger for the days of serfdom."

Violet looked over at Isobel with exasperation as she bit out,

"I hanker for a simpler world. Is that a crime?"

Pamuk amusedly joined in with, "I do dream of a simpler world, as long as we can keep our trains and our dentistry."

Lilly watched Mary continue flirt with Kemal, and she turned to Evelyn and asked, "So, you know Mary well?"

Evelyn nodded and blushed a little as he said, "Well, yes. I've known her since we were young."

Lilly caught the unsaid message of his feelings for the woman as she commented,

"Mr. Pamuk seems to be… very open."

Evelyn sighed as he said, "I'm afraid I might have brought a contender."

Lilly looked towards him and said, "Well, then I would suggest the wisest thing to start doing something about it."

Evelyn looked at her incredulously and she smiled and said, "If you think George caught my attention and made me love him by doing nothing but fawning over me, you are highly mistaken. I only like men of action."

The man chuckled and cleared his throat quietly, making Lilly smile slightly as he brought the courage up to state,

"Lady Mary rode very well today."

Robert looked over, reminded of a situation from before, and asked his daughter,

"Why did you send Lynch back?"

Mary looked at Pamuk shly as she admitted, "I had my champions to left and right. It was enough."

That answer seemed to please both Evelyn and Kemal, but not Matthew, as George noticed his brother deflate a little bit whilst eating dinner. Robert noticed that as well, and turned to Evelyn as he quickly asked,

"Did you enjoy the hunt today. Mr. Napier? Mary said you had a tremendous run."

Evelyn looked at everyone at the table nervously, noticing the shift in attention as he said,

"It was like something out of a trollop novel."

Robert chuckled and Cora looked over at the Turkish fellow, politely asking,

"What about you, Mr. Pamuk? Was your day successful?"

The man nodded as he said, "Oh yes, Lady Grantham. I can hardly remember a better one."

Lilly subtly frowned at Mary's sudden distress at the comment, worried that there is something more than what Mr. Pamuk was letting on. Afterwards, dinner shifted to more mundane topics, and Lilly appreciated that. Once dinner was done, everyone had walked into the drawing room, where Lilly finally pulled out the finished handkerchief and handed it to the Dowager Countess.

"Cousin Violet, here is the handkerchief you had requested."

The elderly woman studied the detailed embroidery and smiled as she said, "I haven't seen anything like it. It is beautiful. I'm not sure if I can use this because of the fine work. It looks as if the flowers will actually bloom. Thank you, dear."

Lilly smiled widely, relieved that she truly seemed to like the handkerchief. That was when Robert approached them and whispered,

"Mary has more suitors tonight than the Princess Aurora."

That caused both Lilly and Violet to look over, seeing Mary surrounded by Matthew, Kemal and Evelyn. Lilly found George talking to the Countess, as Violet said,

"Will she judge them sensibly?"

Lilly looked over at Robert, not sure how he would respond, when he said,

"Oh, no one's sensible at her age. Nor should they be. That's our role."

Lilly sighed, recognizing the dislike towards Mr. Pamuk radiating off of the man, and it seemed as if the Dowager Countess did as well, when Lilly noticed Pamuk leaving the group. She watched him disappear to a different room and frowned when Mary followed him not too long after.

George seemed to have noticed this as well and looked concerned, risking a glance towards his wife, who mirrored his trepidation. Something did not seem right, but they did not dare intrude. That was when Edith approached Matthew, and they both shared a surprised sentiment at that. But both were dragged into different conversations.

Afterwards, Evelyn Napier approached George and Lilly, who had decided to take a break from the group for a slight second as he said,

"It seems like I'm out of the running."

Lilly sighed as she said, "Well, I'm sure there are other eligible women that you may grow interested in."

Evelyn smiled tightly as he responded with, "I'm hoping for that. But either way, thank you for the tip. It made me realize how I should try to seize the moment whenever I could."

Lilly nodded, and with that, Evelyn went to talk with Robert, causing George to turn towards her and ask,

"What was that about?"

Lilly smirked at him, as she said,

"Oh, it was something I told a certain someone long time ago without realizing what it would lead to."

George chuckled as he took her hand and whispered, "You embarrass me."

Lilly smiled at him lovingly as she responded back with, "You let me."

George would have hugged her right then if there weren't prying eyes as he said, "I can't help it. You make me want to spoil you."

Lilly rolled her eyes at that, but let it slide. The couple had not realized that Cora was talking with Isobel and Sybil, who all were observing how happy the two looked. After excusing herself, Cora walked over to them and said,

"Cousin George. Lilly, I would like to apologize for the question earlier this afternoon."

Lilly shook her head and smiled sadly as she said, "No, it's fine. It just brought memories back."

Cora smiled and said, "We could keep the library open for you if you'd like. I know that it must not be that exciting to be by yourself while Isobel is working at the hospital."

Lilly smiled brightly as she asked, "Really? I could do that?"

Cora nodded and said, "Yes, and if you don't feel too burdened, would it be alright to ask you for help with some planning for events that we hold here at Downton?"

Lilly beamed at that as she responded with, "I would love to."

Cora nodded and excused herself, as she felt happy that she could get to make Lilly happier, even if a little bit.

Eventually, everyone excused themselves for the night, and George and Lilly were preparing to sleep. George was reading a book on the bed when Lilly lied down next to him, resting her head on his shoulder as he said,

"That was nice of Cora to invite you over. Now you don't need to trap yourself in here all the time."

Lilly nodded and said, "George, I think that… I could be happy here. Truly."

George put his book down and looked at her as he said, "As long as you are happy and alive, I am happy as well."

Lilly smiled at him as he leaned in and kissed her gently. Lilly melted in his arms, thinking how life seemed to turn to a brighter side, where she could start a new chapter in her life. A happier life with George, where they both could respect the past, but continue to move forward.

~~ ….. ~~

The next morning, Lilly and George were having breakfast with Isobel when Molesley walked in with a grim face and said,

"I would have waited for after the meal, but this seemed quite the news."

George looked over and asked, "Oh? What is it?"

Molesley shifted before hesitantly responding with, "The Turkish gentleman has passed away last night."

Isobel gasped out a "What?"

Lilly froze at that and looked at George, unsure of how to take this news. George thanked Molesley as he turned to his family and said,

"I guess we will have to go visit them sooner than we expected."

Breakfast instantly turned grim afterwards.

A few days later, Lilly walked over with Matthew. The younger woman did not feel brave enough to approach the family by herself immediately after what had happened. Lilly had conversed with Cora, who told her how upset Mary seemed to be. Lilly couldn't help but be reminded of her original fiancé, who had a life-easy attitude similar to Pamuk's. Although they had broken off the engagement, she had become close friends with her former fiancé before everything had happened, and she sighed as she tried to read a book she had formerly found interesting.

Once she was done, and Matthew had finished meeting up with Robert, they were heading back home when they saw Mary. Lilly let Matthew go towards her, deciding to head home alone.

After that incident seemed to quiet down, the people were buzzing with the news of a fair. Lilly heard her lady's maid Maria talk about it excitedly, having never been to one before. Whenever Maria talked about it, Lilly made a mental note to let her go.

One particular day, they were altogether in the living room when Matthew looked at Molesley, who was serving them tea, and said to the butler,

"Are you going to the fair while it's here?"

Molesley looked at the family, as he hesitantly said, "I shouldn't think so, sir. But I don't mind it. I like the music."

Lilly then said, "You should go. We can handle ourselves. And I was going to ask if you could take Maria anyway."

Molesley nodded when Isobel cried out, "Goodness, what's happened to your hands?"

Everyone looked at the butler's hands, which were red, looking very irritated as he tried to cover them whilst saying,

"It's nothing, ma'am."

Lilly commented, "They look painful."

Molesley shook his head and insisted, "Oh, no, ma'am. Irritating more than painful."

Lilly was thinking of the times she let Molesley help his father with the gardening, wondering if that had anything to do with this when her mother-in-law asked,

"Have you been using anything new to polish the silver or the shoes?"

Molesley responded with, "No."

Isobel put her glasses on and reached out for his hands as she asked, "May I?"

Matthew shook his head and tried to help his butler by stating, "Leave him alone, Mother."

George, sighed as he got up and pecked his wife's cheek before stating,

"Mother, I'm sure he's fine. I'm heading to work."

With that, he left, while Isobel returned Molesley's hand and stated,

"It looks like erysipelas. You must have cut yourself."

Matthew and Lilly shared bewildered looks, not sure if it was truly what Isobel was stating, when Molesley stuttered out,

"Not… not that I'm aware of."

Isobel looked determined and Matthew sighed as she said, "We'll walk 'round to the hospital tomorrow. Lilly, will you join?"

Lilly looked absolutely shocked at her mother-in-law's request but acquiesced, knowing not to deny her that which Molesley did not seem to know. But eventually he gave in, looking at Lilly with pleading eyes, causing the woman to give an apologetic smile towards the butler.

When they walked into the hospital, Lilly tried broaching her thought on the matter as she said,

"Isobel, I did let Molesley help his father with the garden, I'm sure that must have been a factor to whatever this is."

But it seemed to reach deaf ears as Isobel just walked into the building towards Dr. Clarkson's office while the poor nurse tried to stop the older woman. Isobel ignored the nurse and said,

"You can tell the doctor that you opened the cupboard for the chairman of the board. I assure you, he will raise not the slightest objection."

Everyone watched her take out something, not feeling comfortable with the situation as she said,

"This should do it. Tincture of steel, 10 drops in water three times a day. And this is solution of nitrate of silver, rub a little in morning and night."

Molesley seemed to be resigned as he asked, "How long before it's better?"

Isobel answered quickly, "Erysipelas is very hard to cure. We should be able to reduce the symptoms, but that might be all we can manage. Oh, and you must wear gloves at all times."

Lilly sighed as Molesley said, "I couldn't… wait a table in gloves. I'd look like a footman."

It seemed to irritate Isobel, who did not enjoy Molesley's tone as she said,

"You may have to. The tincture and the salve will help. Try it for a week and we'll see."

With that, Isobel marched towards her house. Lilly immediately turned to a clearly upset Molesley, as she took the tincture from his hands and placed it back on Dr. Clarkson's desk, writing an apology note for the man.

Molesley watched as he hesitantly asked, "Ma'am?"

Lilly stood back up and answered, "I doubt it is erysipelas, Molesley, after all, shouldn't we get the Doctor to check your condition? Though I do agree on the gloves for safety precautions, let's not start taking medications without confirmation."

Molesley nodded, feeling a little bit better as they walked out of the hospital and asked,

"If you don't mind me asking my lady, what do you suppose this is?"

Lilly glanced at his hands before stating, "I think it might have to do with you helping your father in the gardens, but let's not jump to conclusions."

Molesley looked at Lilly, who walked with her head raised, despite people still glancing at her in curiosity. He couldn't figure out how she could emanate such a noble aura.

With that, two days passed, and Lilly helped Molesley fool Isobel, making her think that he was taking the tincture, when Isobel suddenly asked them both to follow her to the hospital. Lilly was in a blue shirt with a dark blue shirt and a hat, for the day. When they arrived, Isobel led them to Dr. Clarkson's office without hesitation as the man stood up to greet her in surprise,

"Mrs. Crawley, how nice."

Isobel noticed Cousin Violet's presence, who looked at Lilly and Molesley with a raised eyebrow, to which Lilly looked back at her sheepishly. This allowed the dowager countess to realize that the woman did not wholly agree with this scenario, as Isobel stated,

"If you're busy, we can come back later."

Violet looked over at Lilly, who gave a slight point to Molesley, The elderly woman knew what she was trying to do, and asked,

"Molesley? What are you doing here? Are y- are you ill?"

Molesley looked over at Lilly who gave him a sympathetic look, as Dr. Clarkson said,

"Mr. Molesley, I got Ms. Lilly's note the other day. Er, how's it going? And my lady, I thank you for returning the tincture."

Isobel whirled around to look at Lilly, who sighed in resignation as she said,

"This happened after I let Molesley to help his father with the garden."

Violet smirked a little, as she studied Molesley's hand at that, realizing what it must be, as she smugly commented,

"I see your father has been making changes at home."

Isobel frowned and wondered why the other woman mentioned this as Molesley politely answered,

"He has, milady. He's got no use for the herb garden now me mother's gone, so he's turned it to grass."

Violet then asked him, still smug about her own diagnosis, "And you've been helping him?"

Molesley nodded and said, "I have."

Lilly looked at Violet curiously, who noticed this and smiled as she said, "Grubbing out the old rue hedge."

Molesley and Lilly's eyes both widened as Molesley asked, "How did you know that?"

Cousin Violet looked over to Isobel and then to Dr. Clarkson as she stated,

"Because this is not erysipelas. This is a rue allergy. If Molesley wears gardening gloves, it'll be gone in a week. Please don't think we're ungrateful for your enthusiasm, Mrs. Crawley, but there comes a time when things are best left to the professionals."

Isobel stuttered, as she tried to speak, but Violet continued to gloat as she stood up and said,

"And now I really – really must go."

Molesley smiled in relief and thanked her, causing the woman to chuckle while Lilly guiltily looked over at her mother-in-law, who looked exasperated.

Later in the day, Matthew, George and Robert were walking through the cottages as Matthew stated,

"I hope Cousin Violet has recovered from last night."

George looked at his brother curiously, but Robert merely chuckled and stated,

"Whatever she says, my mother is as strong as an ox, and it's high time she let go of her scheme for upsetting everything. Time we all did."

George smiled and stated, "Whatever this is, leave me out of it. I don't want to get in-between a war."

Robert laughed as Matthew ignored his brother's antics and said, "I can't deny I'm pleased to hear it."

Robert curiously glanced at Matthew, as he asked, "Are you beginning to see a future here, then?"

Matthew nodded, causing George to smile as his brother said, "In a way, this latest business has forced me to recognize that I do want Downton to be my future."

Robert smiled warmly at that, glad to hear of his heir's thoughts as he responded, "I'm glad."

George commented in a teasing tone, "You must have thought Matthew as an awful prig when we first arrived."

Matthew rolled his eyes, knowing he could be relaxed slightly about the situation while Robert answered truthfully,

"Not a prig, just a man thrust onto something he never wanted or envisaged."

Matthew sighed as he answered apologetically, "I can only see the absurdity of the whole thing. I'm sorry."

Robert nodded whilst answering, "Well, there are absurdities involved as I know well enough."

George nodded and said, "But why involve me? Matthew is the heir, but what does that have to do with me Cousin Robert?"

Robert looked down at his cup of tea as he thought to himself that he should have realized that George would be curious about that as he said,

"Well, Matthew and I have talked, and in the case that neither of us could talk to Jarvis or communicate with the villagers, you might be open to talking with them as our representative."

George's eyes widened as he straightened from his slouching position on the couch, as he cleared his throat and said,

"I'm surprised that you both would think so highly of me. Are you sure?"

Matthew patted his little brother's shoulder as he said, "I wouldn't trust anybody else. This should be easier than to communicate with foreigners."

George tensed, which made Matthew wince as George muttered darkly, "I married, said foreigner, Matthew. I would like it if you didn't insult me and my wife."

Matthew withdrew while Robert tried to recover from the dark mood George suddenly seemed to be in as he said,

"Well, Matthew, as for absurdities, I know those well enough."

George glared down at his cup, remembering the dark moments of his and Lilly's life, while Matthew responded with,

"Possibilities, too, and I was blind to them. I was determined not to let it change me. It was absurd. If you don't change, you die."

Robert sighed as he looked out the window. He took a sip of his tea before asking,

"Do you think so? I'm not sure. Sometimes I think I hate change."

George pushed his emotions down as he said,

"Well, at least we all can comfort ourselves that this'll still be here… because we saved it."

That allowed both Robert and Matthew to relax a little as they both knew that George wasn't truly angry with them. Rather, they realized that George must have been affected by whatever had caused him and Lilly to come live here.

With that, another day passed when another night passed by for both Matthew and George. The next morning, everyone had breakfast. George and Matthew both rushed to go to work, when Isobel stopped them by stating,

"I thought I'd write to Edith to settle our promised church visit. Besides, I want Lilly to see the churches here."

George smiled at how quickly his mother seemed to treat Lilly like her daughter, always taking her side than his now, as Matthew distractedly said,

"If you want."

Isobel studied how Matthew did not seem as interested while stating,

"Well, we can't just throw her over when she made such an effort to arrange the last one."

Matthew sighed as he resignedly said, "It's all in your head."

George shook his head, whilst kissing Lilly on the cheek before going to his mother and doing the same. With that, he left first, knowing that this was a conversation not worth being late to his work for. Lilly watched him leave, before she turned her head to hear Matthew stutter and state,

"Then… she's barking up the wrong tree."

Lilly raised an eyebrow at that as Isobel said, "Poor Edith, I hope that there's a right tree for her somewhere."

Lilly saw how exasperated Matthew seemed at that as she said, "I'm sure there is. And now, Matthew must go to work as well. He will be late."

Isobel waved her son away as Molesley appeared, asking them,

"Ma'am, my lady, I was wondering if I might take some time this afternoon to help in the village hall."

Lilly looked genuinely interested as Matthew stopped himself from exiting the door, turning to look at his valet/butler, asking,

"Why? What's happening?"

Molesley shifted his feet as he answered, "It's the flower show, sir, next Saturday. I'll give my father a hand with his stall if I may."

Lilly nodded and said, "Maria will take care of my needs like usual, so you are free to go on my part. Mother?"

Isobel nodded as well, stating, "Of course you must go."

Matthew smiled and said, "And so, I'm afraid, must I."

With that, Matthew rushed out the door, hating that his brother must have left him behind for this specific reason.

After lunch, Maria had helped Lilly change into clothing for outdoors. Once she was done, she was fashioning a white shirt and long black skirt. She wore a hat fitting the situation, and had followed her mother-in-law to the village hall.

There, she saw people from the village busy setting up tables, and banners. Lilly spotted their butler helping to set up the sign on stage, tying the string around the post. As they walked up, he saw the two women and stated,

"Afternoon, ma'am."

Isobel smiled and asked, "When do you put that magnificent display of prizes on show?"

The elder of the Molesleys smiled and answered, "Not till the day itself."

Lilly looked around still surprised at how people were trying to set a large event just to showcase flowers as the two people continued to converse. She was brought out of her reverie when Cousin Violet came in and stated,

"It's a wonderful area for roses. We're very lucky. We'll see some beautiful examples right across the show, won't we, Mr. Molesley?"

Lilly raised an eyebrow at how the Dowager Countess was looking at her mother-in-law as the butler's father answered,

"If you say so, Your Ladyship."

And as you would expect, Isobel and Violet had a 'cheerful' conversation that Lilly barely escaped from. As much as she liked the two women, she was sure that they enjoyed doing this in front of her more than others. And she found that, on occasion, they dragged her into their conversations, asking her to take a side, which she tried to avoid at all costs.

The next day, Cora had called for Lilly, asking her to help with some of the planning process. Lilly was not sure why the lady of the house asked for her specifically instead of her daughters, but she was happy to oblige, as Isobel had gone to the Dower house to continue the conversation from the other day.

As she was helping to organize the list of tables and confirming that everything was correct with Cora, it did not take long during the afternoon when Cora turned to her and asked,

"How about you stay for dinner? It's almost time, and I'm sure that Carson won't mind with one more person."

Lilly turned to Carson, seeing as he had opened his mouth in surprise, but quickly recovering from the shock to nod to her with a gentle smile. Lilly turned back to Cora as she said,

"Wouldn't I be intruding, I don't want to make extra work for everyone. Besides, I have to change."

Cora shook her head as she said, "You should be fine. And Carson, would it be troublesome?"

Carson smiled as he answered, "No, my lady, it will not. And I will let Mrs. Patmore know of the addition."

Lilly thanked the butler, who smiled back at her, before exiting the room. Afterwards, Cora said,

"To be perfectly honest, I'm so glad that you are here to help. My daughters are always wanting to get out and not help."

Lilly just smiled at that as she continued helping. Soon enough, Cora and Lilly finished their task and Lilly had joined the family for dinner, enjoying listening to them talk about various topics, feeling like she was becoming closer to the family.

The next morning, Lilly, George, and Matthew accompanied Isobel to the village hall, where they met up with the Dowager Countess and her family.

Her mother quickly walked over to Mr. Molesley's table and commented really loudly,

"Do look at Mr. Molesley's display. He's worked so hard."

Matthew commented, "Rather marvelous, aren't they?"

Lilly had an arm around George's as they just amusedly watched the whole situation as Mary responded back,

"Well done, Mr. Molesley."

The elderly man smiled at that in surprise as he stated, "Thank you, milady."

Violet pursed her lips as her grip on her cane tightened due to her annoyance as she said,

"I think everyone is to be congratulated. Splendid."

Isobel resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she stated,

"But do look at these roses. Have you ever seen the like?"

Both George and Lilly smiled at how Violet fired off with,

"My dear Mrs. Crawley believes I'm profiting from an unfair advantage."

Cora looked over at Lilly, who looked at her with a knowing smile, causing the woman to look at her own mother-in-law with an indescribable look as she said, "Oh?"

Violet didn't notice this as she continued to state,

"Mm… She feels, in the past, I've been given the cup merely as a matter of routine rather than merit."

George sighed as he spoke up with, "That's rather ungallant, Mother. I'm sure when we see Cousin Violet's roses, it'll be hard to think they could be bettered."

Matthew nodded alongside his brother, but their mother looked annoyed and said,

"Hard, but not impossible."

Violet sighed as she looked towards the other woman and said,

"You are quite wonderful the way you see room for improvement wherever you look. I never knew such reforming as you."

Lilly had to bite down her lower lip to prevent herself from laughing at that, as Isobel lifted her head, smiled, and said,

"I take that as a compliment."

With that, Isobel walked away, causing Violet to mutter to them, "I must've said it wrong."

Mary commented, "Poor Granny, she's not used to being challenged."

Lilly noticed how Mary seemed to have directed this more towards Matthew than them, so she quickly led George aside. The man looked curious as to his wife's behavior, as he asked her,

"What is it?"

Lilly smiled and looked over at Mary and Matthew, causing him to look over as well. When he found the two people smiling and conversing with one another, he chuckled and said,

"Ah, they seem to have gotten closer."

Lilly and George continued walking, acting as if they were looking at the flowers as she said,

"Well, something must have happened for them to at least be able to deal with each other in a civilized manner."

George shook his head in amusement at that as he said, "If I remember correctly, you didn't seem to like your original fiancé either."

Lilly gave him a side-glance as she said, "And if I remember correctly, I ended that, dropping my own reputation to marry a certain foreigner."

George smiled and looked down at her, causing a blush to appear on Lilly's cheeks, making her look even more adorable in the light, as he whispered to her,

"And I am forever grateful, and more in love with you for that."

Lilly smiled, and if the two people were not in public, they would have displayed more of their emotions, but alas, they had to maintain a façade for everyone so that they would not attract any more unwanted attention than they already had.

Later that evening, Lilly and George were at the table in Downton, sitting on opposite sides, due to Robert having wanted George to be acquaintance with other elites in the town. Lilly was talking with a separate man, who had been kindly asking her questions about George and her involvement with the town. But this was quickly interrupted when Edith broke the pattern and loudly said to Sir Anthony Strallan,

"Sir Anthony, it must be so hard to meet the challenge of the future and yet be fair to your employees."

Everyone at the table quieted, and listened, especially studying the man's reaction to that as he said,

"That is the point precisely. We can't fight progress, but we must find ways to soften the blow."

Lilly glanced over to George, who merely grimaced at how the dinner was going, noticing that despite Matthew having been seated next to Mary, was beaming at the woman, when Cora's intentions seemed pretty clear.

But before she could think much more about it, Edith responded with,

"I should love to see one of the new harvesters, if you would ever let me. We don't have one here."

Cora and Robert eyed Edith with wariness as Sir Anthony smiled and chirped rather happily, "I should be delighted."

After more conversation seemed to pass, Cora switched sides, so that Lilly was talking to Sybil, who was more than excited to talk more about Joseon with Lilly. They talked about the different cultures, and women's rights issues, in which Lilly found that Sybil was extremely passionate about, when she heard a gasp, almost choking sound coming from Sir Anthony Strallan before he exclaimed,

"Oh, Go—God!"

Robert paused his eating, causing everyone to look at Sir Anthony in shock as he asked,

"What on earth?"

Sir Anthony dabbled his mouth with his napkin as he wheezed out,

"I do apologize, Lady Grantham, but I had a mouthful of salt."

Lilly looked at the dessert that was being laid out in surprise as Cora disbelievingly asked, "What?"

She tried tasting the dessert before frowning in disgust. She gently put down her fork as she looked at her guests and stated,

"Everyone, put down your forks. Carson, remove this. Bring fruit. Bring cheese. Bring anything to take this taste away."

With that, the butler immediately stared moving with his footmen, as Cora turned to Sir Anthony Strallan again and said,

"Sir Anthony, I am so sorry."

Sybil bit her lower lip, not helping the shaking of her shoulders as she looked down at her hands to hide her amusement, whilst Lilly looked over to George, who seemed to be doing the same along with the rest of the guests.

Once things seemed to have calmed down, Robert sighed as he added,

"Fains I be Mrs. Patmore's kitchen maid when the news gets out."

Sybil smiled but responded sympathetically,

"Poor girl. We ought to send in a rescue party."

Edith had a slight look of annoyance based on the glint of her eyes that Lilly caught, but it would have not been noticed with those not paying attention as she said,

"You must think us very disorganized."

Sir Anthony continued to shift in his seat from embarrassment as he added,

"Not at all. These things happen."

Thankfully, the dinner calmed down and Carson was able to bring fruit and cheese like Cora had requested, letting the evening go less eventfully.

Later in the drawing room, Lilly was sitting with Cora and the daughters, still talking about the night's events as Sybil stated,

"Poor Mrs. Patmore. Do you think you should go down and see her?"

Cora sighed and said, "Tomorrow. She needs time to recover her nerves. I knew there was something going on."

Lilly worriedly asked, "Is she well?"

Cora responded, "Well, I wanted to make something different than the originally planned dessert, but she had refused and insisted on this one. I'm not sure."

Edith angrily piped in with, "It seems hard that poor Sir Anthony had to pay the price."

Lilly was about to frown when Mary jokingly imitated the man by yelling out, "Good God!"

This set off Sybil to laugh again while Edith bit out at her older sister with,

"As for you giggling like a ridiculous schoolgirl with Cousin Matthew… it was pathetic."

Lilly tensed, which Cora and Sybil noticed immediately. After all, Lilly was family with Matthew more than she was to them, and Edith had blurted out angrily without thinking. But Mary took the bait as she hissed out,

"Oh, poor Edith. I'm sorry Cousin Matthew's proved a disappointment to you."

Edith haughtily responded back, "Who says he has?"

Mary smugly looked straight into her sister's eyes as she responded,

"Matthew? He told me."

When Edith's glare turned to hatred, Cora and Lilly watched them worriedly, as Mary seemed satisfied with this reaction as she continued with,

"Oh, sorry, wasn't I supposed to know?"

Cora interjected quickly, trying to diffuse the situation,

"You were very helpful, Edith, looking after Sir Anthony. You saved the day."

Edith smugly smiled, making sure it was visible to Mary as she said,

"I enjoyed it. We seem to have a lot to talk about."

Lilly held back a sigh, which Sybil seemed to share, as Mary groaned out,

"Spare me your boasting, please."

Edith lifted a corner of her lips as she waved off, "Now who's jealous?"

Mary's reaction was immediate. Her posture straightened as she challenged,

"Jealous? Do you think I couldn't have that old booby if I wanted him?"

Edith ignorantly responded, "Even you can't take every prize."

Mary's eyes narrowed as she glanced over towards the door to the room, as she asked,

"Is that a challenge?"

Edith nodded and said, "If you like."

Mary smiled as she started to formulate a plan. Lilly could see the wires in Mary's brain working and worriedly looked towards Cora, asking,

"Won't you stop her?"

Cora shook her head as she said, "I… I wish for Mary to marry someone, and I'm sorry if we are disappointing you if we seem we are throwing Matthew to the side."

Lilly really wasn't worried about that, but for Mary, who seemed to not have realized how close she had gotten with Matthew without knowing it herself.

Not too long afterwards, the men entered, and Mary immediately snagged Sir Anthony Strallan. Edith sauntered over as she tried to talk to him, but the man did not even pay attention to her. This did not go unnoticed by George nor Matthew. George walked over to Lilly as he whispered seriously,

"What happened?"

Lilly sighed as she glanced towards a clearly upset Matthew, and answered,

"I'm afraid Edith has pushed Mary into a competitive streak that should not have been touched."

George pursed his lips, seeing how angry his brother seemed to be. The couple could not help but feel disappointed in Mary's behavior, which also caught Robert's eyes. He looked towards them apologetically, which both people had the manners to give a gentle smile back, but it was clear that their relationship had instantly become slightly strained.

Edith walked over to Matthew, stating,

"It seems we've both been thrown over for a bigger prize."

That seemed to have done Matthew in, as he tried to respond kindly as he could,

"Heavens, is that the time?"

Edith's eyes widened, realizing how cold Matthew's tone was as she fearfully asked,

"You're not going?"

Matthew gave her an indescribable look, as he said,

"The truth is, my head's splitting. I don't want to spoil the party, so I'll slip away. Would you make my excuses to your parents?"

With that, he headed out, causing George and Lilly to excuse themselves from Robert with,

"Cousin Robert, thank you for the dinner. We're afraid we have to hurry after Matthew."

Robert nodded as he said, "I'm so sorry about Mary."

The couple grimly nodded before rushing out to follow the upset Crawley brother. They let Matthew have some distance up front, not wanting to upset him further, as George said,

"Well, this has been a rathe frightful night. First the salt, and now Mary."

Lilly couldn't say anything, as George said, "This whole ordeal makes me thankful that I found you."

That made Lilly look up to him in the dark, causing her to smile sadly as she said,

"And I couldn't be more thankful that you ran into me like a blithering idiot that one fateful day."

George blushed, causing Lilly to smile, and snuggle up closer to her husband. Their intertwined hands tightened, as they peacefully followed after Matthew. When they entered the house, Isobel was already frowning up the stairs, as she asked them,

"What happened?"


	4. Sybil

Chapter 4: Sybil

The next day, Lilly was walking alongside George, both wearing white to match with the others, as they were walking around in the village hall with the others, looking at the various flowers. By the time they were at Mr. Molesley's table, they all were awed by his display of roses, causing Robert to exclaim,

"My word, Molesley, splendid roses, as usual. Well done."

The elderly man looked grateful by the compliment, and stated, "Thank you, Your Lordship."

Lilly and George watched the Dowager Countess with amusement as she huffed a little,

"All stalls are set out very well this year."

Cora just smiled tightly towards Molesley, wishing that someone could do something about the older woman's feud with Isobel, asking the man,

"This is enchanting. Do we grow this?"

The man answered quickly, "I doubt if you got that one, Your Ladyship. I've only just found it myself."

Cora had a slight mischievous look in her eye, which matched her tone as she kindly asked,

"Is it a secret, or could you tell Mr. Brocket?"

The man looked shocked, along with his son by his side, causing George to snicker, as the elder Molesley answered,

"I'd be glad to, milady."

Cora nodded in thanks, stating, "He should come and see the rose garden. He could give us some ideas."

Meanwhile, Robert watched with warm eyes, as George was trying to snag a flower for Lilly, who merely put it back quickly. Robert was surprised at how dexterous she was, quickly and quietly setting the various flowers down to their rightful place without being caught by the owner of the booth. But all he could do was return his attention to his wife, who he responded with,

"Old Molesley's a champion. Or he would be in a _fairer _world."

Violet happened to have heard that as she looked crossly at her son, whispering to him,

"Don't you start."

But of course, it wasn't Isobel if she had not heard that as well. She sharply turned her head to face Robert, stating,

"I'm afraid I've been annoying Cousin Violet on that score."

Robert sighed out loud, not liking where this was going, as his mother stated in a matter-of-fact tone,

"If Molesley deserves first prize for his flowers, the judges will give it to him."

Robert fought off the urge roll his eyes at that, reacting to his mother's comment with a,

"They wouldn't dare."

Violet glared at her son, not being able to hide it from her irritation at being accused of something she was sure, wasn't true, answering,

"Really, Robert, you make me so annoyed. Isn't it possible I should win the thing on merit?"

Robert noticed George and Lilly watching the scene with interest, as he sighed smugly,

"I think the appropriate answer to that, Mama, is 'Yes, dear'."

Violet bristled at that before walking on a little more ahead from the group. Lilly shook her head as she studied the flowers. Each and every one of them had their own beauty, and she studied the strange flowers. George merely let her grasp his arm tightly, as she looked at them all in awe.

Eventually, when it was time for the announcements or the winners, George noticed his brother talking with Lady Mary. He sighed, seeing the feelings Matthew had for the woman, but was hesitant to act on after the hurt he had felt the other night. Once the runner-ups got their awards, everyone applauded. Lilly and George looked up in interest as Violet finally called out,

"And now the Grantham Cup for the best bloom in the village. And the Grantham Cup is awarded to…"

George felt Lilly's fingers tighten around his arm from the anticipation and he chuckled, not being able to hide his own from the masked, but flustered look on Cousin Violet's face. Because they were family, Robert, Cora, and their daughters immediately noticed the pause in Violet's speech while the rest thought it was a dramatic moment she had intended.

Violet looked up and smiled as she proudly stated,

"Mr. William Molesley… for his Comtesse Cabarrus Rose."

Isobel was the most enthusiastic to congratulate the family as she yelled out,

"Bravo! Well done! Bravo!"

Violet handed the heavy trophy to the elder Molesley, quietly congratulating him. The man exuberated a happy emotion, unable to hide it as he thanked her. But the woman shook her head, denying the credit the man was giving her. When everyone was down, Robert went to Violet, where George and Lilly joined as well, when he said,

"Bravo, Mama. That must've been a real sacrifice."

Cora added on, "And bravely born."

Violet put on an innocent look, which was noticed by George and Lilly as well, as she stated,

"I don't know what everyone's on about."

Cora was about to state something, but couldn't as Violet quickly continued with,

"All is well, my dear. All is well."

With that, she walked on, causing George to laugh and state, "Well, that was certainly exciting."

Lilly merely smiled, as she quietly observed how happy everyone at the village hall looked that day. Once the event was over, they headed back to the Crawley house, tired from the events. After dinner, Maria was helping Lilly changing and taking off jewelry, as she said to her lady in Korean,

"My lady, are you happy here?"

Lilly looked at her lady's maid with a sad smile and answered, "I'm happy as I can be. Why? Is something wrong?"

Maria shook her head and said, "I am enjoying my time here, but I miss home. Isn't that weird? I used to hate everything about it when we left, but now, I miss it."

Lilly understood what Maria was saying, and responded with,

"I do too. But I hope that you can be happier in the future."

Maria smiled as she brushed her lady's hair, stating, "I'm grateful that I'm here. So I promise that I will try to be happier."

Lilly nodded satisfactorily and said, "I think that's good for the night. Thank you Maria."

Maria nodded and headed out of the room. A few minutes later, George walked in, and saw his wife settling into the bed. He smiled as he climbed into the bed after her, hugging her before they fell asleep.

A few days later, Lilly found herself at Downton, keeping Cora company as they were both doing embroidery in the afternoon. As they were embroidering, Cora admitted that she was worried about Sybil being so active and curious about politics. Lilly couldn't help but almost grimace in guilt as she remembered her grandfather, who had hated her for being so opinionated.

"I'm worried about Sybil. She seems so interested in politics over other things that she should be doing."

Lilly paused her embroidery as she looked up at the Countess of Grantham, stating,

"My grandfather had similar concerns when I was younger."

Cora looked up, eyes bright as she asked, "What happened?'

Lilly smiled a little at the memory as she said,

"I liked to read the newspaper, and I had strong opinions. My grandfather did as well, but tradition came before politics for him. When he noticed that I had been secretly reading newspapers, he made me rewrite all the books regarding how to be a good person and what my responsibilities were as a woman. He forbade me from exiting my room until I had finished, hoping that that would stop me from pursuing interest in politics. That didn't happen, and he eventually let me do what I wanted. I remember how I had rewritten all the books without sleeping for about three days."

Cora laughed a little at that and incredulously asked, "Three whole days? You are surprisingly more stubborn than I thought, Lilly."

Lilly laughed and said, "It might be hard to believe, but I'm all for the women's equality. My grandfather hated that."

Cora smiled that, and saw a resemblance between Lilly and Sybil for being headstrong when it came to their beliefs.

With that, the conversation ended there, before a different one popped up. Eventually, Lilly took her embroidery and went back to the Crawley house, where Isobel told her where Sybil had been that afternoon. Apparently, Isobel had ran into her at a public speech regarding votes and had managed to persuade Sybil to leave with the chauffeur Branson before things got violent. It reminded Lilly of her younger days when she had worked as an independence fighter for her country.

But she shook her thoughts away when George had come home before dinner.

The next day, Lilly was in the library reading a book that she borrowed from the library, when Robert came in and saw her. He smiled and said,

"Lilly, hello. Nobody told me you would be here."

The woman smiled back as she said, "I apologize. I thought Thomas would have told you by now."

Robert sighed and said, "I'm afraid that he hasn't. But don't worry, I will be writing letters and doing some paperwork, so it should be fine to read in here."

Lilly thanked him for that and watched the man as he sat down at his writing desk, starting to work. A comfortable quiet settled the library as Lilly returned to her reading. Reading about the country's history was interesting, and Lilly was deep into it, when Sybil walked in, hesitantly. When she spotted the Korean woman, she smiled and greeted her. After the greeting, Lilly curiously watched Sybil walk up to Robert, a hesitant tone in her voice as she asked,

"Papa… Can Branson drive me into Ripon on Friday evening?"

Robert did not look up from his paperwork, immediately answering back with,

"I don't think so, no. Not after the last time."

Lilly observed Sybil bite the side of her lip as she said,

"Oh, please. There's a meeting of my borstal charity. I've missed two, and I simply must be there."

Robert finally looked up, not liking this, as he said, "You'd have to take Mary or Edith with you."

Sybil groaned as she answered, "Don't make me. Those meetings are deadly at the best of times, and you know what they're like when they're bored."

Robert complained slightly with, "Why are all you causes so steeped in gloom?"

Sybil answered back with, "Because it's the gloomy things that need our help. If everything in the garden's sunny, why meddle?"

Robert seemed to contemplate what to tell Sybil, when Sybil spotted Lilly watching them, before an idea popped into her head. Sybil's eyes gleamed with excitement as she quickly said,

"If Lilly is not busy, maybe she could chaperone me."

Robert's eyes widened before turning to face Lilly, who looked at them with slight surprise, before managing,

"I rarely go out, so it should be fine. I believe I don't have anything Friday evening."

Robert sighed as he said,

"Fine. As long as Lilly is with you at all times, I can let it happen. And talking of sunny, are you looking forward to your coming Season?"

Lilly looked back at Sybil, who smiled with a blush, as she admitted, "I am, rather."

Sybil then looked back at Robert, wanting to confirm his decision as she asked once more,

"So it's alright? I can go with Lilly?"

Robert sighed, giving Lilly an apologetic glance as he asked his daughter, "Will you be late?"

Sybil smiled at that, knowing that her father was already letting her go, as she answered,

"I think we'll miss dinner."

Robert sighed and said, "Well, remember to tell Branson to take a sandwich for himself."

Sybil nodded, before rushing over to Lilly, giving her a hug and rushing out of the room in excitement for Friday. The moment Sybil exited the room, Robert turned back to Lilly, saying,

"I hope she is not bothering you with this. It is, out of the blue."

Lilly shook her head and said, "I think me being there might help keep Sybil in check if she does do something unexpected. I'm glad to get out of the house anyway. I might learn something."

Robert smiled at her before resuming to do his work, which prompted Lilly to start reading her book again.

Friday quickly came, and Lilly was waiting for Branson and Sybil. They had arranged to pick her up before going to Ripon. Lilly was dressed in a white shirt with a khaki colored long skirt, when Molesley came into the living room to announce that they had arrived. She thanked the butler and requested him to let Maria know that she could relax for the day, before heading out.

Once the in car, Lilly excitedly asked her about the different lifestyle Koreans led, and what the politics were like. Lilly tried to answer all the questions correctly, but it was almost difficult to match the younger girl's enthusiasm. It reminded Lilly of the time when she first met George, and it caused her to smile throughout the conversation and ride to Ripon.

By the time they arrived at a street, Branson asked Sybil, "Where to from here, milady?"

Sybil looked over at Branson and said, "What do you mean? We've arrived."

Branson and Lilly shared a wary look with each other as Lilly asked , "Is the meeting in one of these buildings here?"

Sybil rolled her eyes as she answered,

"This is the meeting. We're here for the counting of the votes. 

Branson immediately stopped the car while Lilly tensed, both not liking where this was going as Branson stuttered out,

"I… I don't understand. I thought that-"

Sybil jumped out of the car, yelling out, "Don't be silly, Brnason. You didn't think I'd miss my very first by-election?"

Lilly immediately followed as she told Branson, "I'll try to bring her back. Just park the car and find us."

Branson nodded immediately and tried to maneuver the car away from the crowd. Lilly rushed to Sybil's side, telling her as they entered the courtyard,

"Sybil, this isn't a good idea. Robert strictly forbade you from going to places like this."

Sybil's eyes were focused on the people up top, as she said,

"Let me worry about him. Don't worry, what could possibly go wrong?"

Lilly knew from experience that these kinds of meetings quickly turned violent and wanted out of there. Sure, she could probably protect Sybil, but there were too many people and she preferred not to attract unwanted attention.

Lilly tried to hold onto Sybil as close as possible. All she could do was keep her close to the entrance where they had come from, preventing her from going up close to the announcer.

Lilly cursed mentally, when Branson came in and yelled over the crowd to Sybil,

"Can we call it a day, milady?"

Sybil had an annoyed look at Lilly and Branson's urge to leave as she said,

"Both of you don't be silly. This is the moment we've come for."

Branson urged on with, "This lot aren't interested in politics. They're spoiling for a fight."

The Asian woman yelled out loud to let her hear her, as she said, "As much as I would support your political views, Sybil, this is not safe for anyone. Please, let's go to the car!"

Sybil ignored Lilly, as the announcer continued counting votes, and then later started to announce someone to be the Member of Parliament, when Lilly literally sagged in relief at Matthew's appearance as he gave a surprised exclamation of,

"Lilly! Sybil! What on earth are you two doing here?"

Sybil excitedly stated, "I couldn't miss this."

Lilly shook her head and answered, "I told Robert I would chaperone Sybil for something else. I had no idea it would be this."

Matthew huffed out, "Well, I could miss this for sure."

Branson shook his head and tried to persuade Sybil, urgency in his voice as he said,

"I don't like the look of this, milady."

Lilly spotted the angry men spill into the city hall courtyard, and looked over to Matthew in panic. She wasn't exactly sure if she could persuade Sybil from leaving the area on her own two feet, and now the situation had worsened.

That was when one of the men walked up too close and Branson blocked the man from nearing Sybil and Lilly, trying to defuse the situation by stating,

"Look, look, I'm on your side. Don't cause any trouble; you have to believe me."

The man shoved Branson and then glanced towards Sybil and Lilly with a leer, as he then faced Matthew, gruffly asking,

"What's your problem, then Mr. La-di-da?"

Matthew looked over at Lilly who tried shuffling Sybil out, who now seemed to realize the dangerous situation they hand been landed in, as Matthew stated,

"My problem is you."

The man sneered before attempting to punch Matthew, only to have missed. George's older brother punched the stranger back, but in the process, Lilly had been shoved and pushed, when Sybil screamed out in horror as she watched Lilly's head hit the table, causing the woman to go unconscious and fall to the ground limply.

Sybil scrambled towards Lilly, trying to hold her up, when Matthew and Branson crouched over Lilly anxiously. Matthew touched Lilly's head when he felt his blood freeze over when his hand came away with blood on it.

Branson whispered out in panic, muttering something which was too quiet for the ears. Sybil felt terrified as Branson led her away behind Matthew, who lifted Lilly up in his arms, running out of the courtyard. The angry crowd parted for them to leave just as the police whistles rang out.

By the time Lilly was at the Crawley house, George had been waiting for her to return, reading a book, when Molesley rushed in and announced,

"Lady Lilly is here with Mister Matthew and Lady Sybil. Lady Lilly has been injured."

George froze as he quickly rose from his seat, asking incredulously, "What?!"

But Molesley did not have time to respond, as Matthew rushed in quickly with an unconscious and limp sister-in-law in his arms. George quickly made room for Lilly to lie down on the couch, when Isobel walked in with her nightgown on, freezing upon seeing Lilly's state.

She quietly asked Molesley to fetch warm water and a clean cloth, quietly grasping the medicine from her room before re-entering the living room. George tensely asked,

"What happened?"

Sybil looked down guiltily whilst Branson admitted, "Lady Lilly was chaperoning Lady Sybil, when we went to Ripon. There was a count and… and she got hurt from the fighting that took place there."

Sybil looked at Branson gratefully, whilst George's fist tightened, anger taking hold of him, before he sighed and held back the overwhelming fear he felt as his mother was cleaning Lilly's head from the blood. He couldn't help but remember that one time when he had returned to the country from an excursion he had to do for his job before their marriage, only to find her bloodied and in despair. When he had treated her secretly, he remembered how she had been lucidly talking to him to leave the country since it was terrible there.

He let out a shaky breath as he was brought back to reality when Mary came in and rushed over to Sybil with surprise and shock laced in her voice.

Matthew sighed, seeing the state his brother was in and patted him on the shoulder, as he said,

"I didn't know what to do, so I had Branson bring her here to pick Sybil up."

George heard Mary state, "Quite right. Mama would have been cross, but perhaps fainted if she'd seen Sybil so pale and Lilly unconscious. And as for Papa…"

Sybil once again found the ground interesting, not liking where she was due to this event. That was when everything went quiet as Lilly groaned before opening her eyes, confusion laced in them. Isobel quickly told her,

"This will sting a bit, but it's stopped bleeding."

Lilly did not say anything, and Isobel continued to clean her wound, before asking her older son,

"Did you know she was planning this?"

Matthew bristled at that and responded with, "Of course not."

Isobel sighed as she asked him stiffly,

"Well, what were you doing there?"

Matthew sighed and responded with, "I was working late. I'd forgotten it was election night, or I wouldn't have stayed."

George grabbed Lilly's hand, as she tightened her grip on his. George silently peered into her eyes, where she gently smiled back at him, as she said,

"I'm glad you did, Matthew."

Mary huffed as she turned to her sister and asked, "Are you alright?"

Sybil nodded and said, "I didn't get hurt."

Matthew then added, "What was Branson thinking? I'm afraid it'll cost him his job."

Sybil jumped at that and immediately stated,

"No. I told him and Lilly that they were taking me to a committee meeting. When they both realized what it was, they wanted to come straight back."

Mary looked at her sister with disappointment as she quietly said,

"You'll have to stick up for him, because Papa will skin him alive."

Matthew asked them both, "Are you ready to go home? We should let Lilly rest."

Lilly had gone back to sleep, having been conscious for only a moment. George did not look at the leaving people, fixated on his wife. Isobel watched George's eyes, and noticed that they looked haunted, almost, as if he was remembering something dark. She had never seen that kind of look in her younger son's eyes before.

He had always been the most mischievous, fun-loving man before he had gone to the country. But now, he seemed older, and weighed down by his experiences. Though he seemed to be happier. He quietly picked Lilly up before taking her upstairs. Isobel's heart broke at the sight of George's sadness. She had some of the story, but this must have triggered something for George.

As she decided to put away her things, Mary came back inside and hesitantly asked,

"By the way, what happened to William's mother?"

Isobel sighed and admitted, "Not good, I'm afraid. She's home, but she's still very weak. Another attack should finish her."

Mary asked again, "And he still doesn't know?"

Isobel looked forlorn as she answered, "She's adamant. I've tried to explain how hard it'll be on him, but she won't have him disturbed. To hear her talk, you'd think he was a cabinet minister."

Mary smiled sadly at that and said,

"He's made her proud. There are plenty of children in grander circumstances who'd love to say the same."

Isobel paused and looked at Mary, who left, in surprise, not having expected those words from Mary.

Once at Downton, Matthew helped Sybil to her room, before going back to the great hall. As he was there waiting, he heard Robert yelling, as he said,

"How dare you?! How dare you disobey me in this way!"

Cora stayed quiet, not liking the situation, but also not liking how Lilly had gotten hurt in the process. Robert continued ranting with,

"Are you so knowledgeable about the great world that my instructions are to be set as nothing?!"

Sybil finally could not take it anymore as she stood up and argued back,

"Papa, I'm sorry I disobeyed you, and I feel terrible that Lilly got hurt. But I'm interested. I'm political. I have opinions."

Robert grit his teeth before huffing out, "Of course, I blame Branson."

Mary finally stepped in with, "I don't think that's fair."

Robert's eyes glared back at the women of the household, as he yelled out,

"We had none of this – none of it – until he set foot in our house! I suppose I should give thanks he hasn't burnt the place down over our heads!"

Sybil finally felt desperate as she explained,

"Branson didn't know anything about it until we arrived there."

Robert ignored it as he gave the ultimatum, "He leaves tonight."

Sybil glared at her father as she hissed out, "If you punish Branson, I'll never speak to you again! Never!"

Mary tried to ease the situation with, "I don't believe this is Branson's fault. Truly, Papa."

Sybil walked over to her father, as she confidently stated, "Blame me."

Robert did not even pause at that as his anger silently burned this time as he said, "I do blame you!"

Cora sighed and finally jumped in with,

"Robert, can we do this in the morning? Sybil needs to rest, she's had an eventful day."

Sybil sat back down on her bed, and glared at her father, stating,

"But if I find tomorrow that Branson is missing, I'll run away. I warn you."

Robert scoffed and looked at his daughter with a slightly unbelieving look, as he asked,

"Oh? And where would you go?"

This question Sybil to freeze, before gathering her wits and stating, "Well, I can't think now, but I will go, and you'll be sorry."

Robert angrily responded with, "I should be sorry. Very sorry indeed."

~~ ….. ~~

The next day, Lilly woke up to find a slight ache in her head. She groaned a little, which caused George to go to her and ask her urgently, if she was alright. Lilly nodded before getting up to find herself in her nightgown with her hair down.

George hugged her tightly and Lilly immediately hugged him back, reassuring her husband that she was fine and that she was next to him. She felt the man tremble slightly in her arms as he let out the worry that he had felt for his wife, memories slipping back from their traumatic past.


	5. Proposals but War

**A/N: I am back! I apologize thoroughly for not having been able to come back to post chapters more frequently, but once graduate school started, my life has been a mess! I will try to make sure that I can post from time to time, but please forgive me for inconsistent chapter updates!**

Chapter 5: Proposals… but War

For the next few days, Lilly and George spent their time walking around town and taking some time to themselves outside of the Crawley family drama. Of course, the mere presence of Lilly caused some gossip, as interracial relationships were uncommon and sometimes frowned upon. But perhaps due to Matthew's status, nobody really commented on it. After all, Lilly had won most people's hearts with the way she acted, and how she mostly kept to herself unless absolutely necessary.

Branson did sometimes come by to provide them rides when they did need to go a bit farther than Yorkshire, stating that this was the least he could do after the incident in Ripon. During this time, Lilly had finally managed to warm up to Isobel to call her mother, and they even shared some conversations relating to medicine.

Lilly was not very knowledgeable in this field, having grown up as a lady of high status, but her night activities back in Korea did not really allow her to take care of people, as if she were injured, she would have to choose to kill herself for her country.

But those days were long over, as she needed to lay low, and not put George at risk. There was a reason that she kept to the house more so than anything.

During all this time, the members of the abbey had gone up to London for Sybil's formal introduction into society.

And when they had finally arrived, the little time of peace and quiet that George and Lilly had happily and comfortably shared, ended, as the chaos and drama caught up to them as well upon the family's return.

George, Matthew, Lilly and Isobel were eating breakfast, when Isobel finally stated,

"So, what are you all going to do now that the family is back?"

Matthew sighed, and picked at his eggs, as he stated, "Keep working and looking at the paperworks in my spare time I suppose."

George finished his own meal, before rushing out, making sure to kiss his wife's cheek. Afterwards, he straightened up and said,

"I have to go up to London myself tomorrow for an important meeting, but other than that, I am free today. How about you, mother?"

Isobel merely hummed, which signified potential trouble to come with Cousin Violet, causing her two sons to grimace a little inwards. Lilly merely smiled at that and silently ate before walking after George.

As George looked in the mirror and making sure he looked alright, Lilly came up to him, still wary of Molesley's curious personality, as she stated to her husband while straightening his tie for him,

"Make sure you eat your meals, and don't crash into anyone."

George merely smiled at that, and Lilly pecked a light kiss on his cheek in return, before watching him walk out of the house to go to work. Matthew then came up, and put a hand on her shoulder and stated,

"I will make sure he doesn't make a fool of himself."

Lilly laughed lightly at that and thanked him, bidding him goodbye as her brother-in-law walked out as well.

Then she saw Molesley look at her sheepishly before rolling her eyes and stated,

"Molesley, you're going to have to get used to my presence at any time now."

The man squeaked a little and answered her with, "Of course, milady."

Lilly then turned around and headed back inside to join Isobel's side in the living room. Later in the day, Lilly got a request to be at the Abbey, and she hurried over, making sure to put on a coat and gloves on her way out.

Once she arrived, Lilly met Cousin Robert, who had a great smile on his face, as he welcomed her with,

"Oh, cousin Lilly! Welcome! We have such wonderful news!"

Lilly smiled at that and asked kindly, "What is it? I rushed over at the fearful face of William."

Robert chuckled before almost gasping out in a rush, "Cora's pregnant!"

Lilly's eyes widened and she managed to keep her smile on her face as she congratulated him. But of course, she was not an idiot. Even in her family, she knew how inheritances worked. She did not dare ask about that and ruin the mood, as she asked,

"Could I meet Cora? She's not too tired, is she?"

Robert shook his head, the smile apparent even in his eyes, as his happiness shined through, as he responded with, "She's actually the one who asked to invite you over to share the news. Please, come with me."

With that, Robert led her upstairs to his and Cora's room, where Lilly saw Cora tightly wrapped in blankets, which made her smile more, at the sight. Cora smiled in return, as she said,

"Lilly! Oh my goodness! You wouldn't believe the news I have for you!"

Lilly smiled and said, "Cousin Robert spoiled it to me already, Cora. Congratulations."

Cora smiled even wider, as her eyes teared up in happiness and joy, commenting,

"I couldn't believe it. I thought that at this age, I wouldn't have more children, but this is such a surprise and a gift. Oh Lilly, I'm so happy."

Lilly felt a pang of sadness at her comment, as she remembered her lost child, but nobody noticed her face falter a little at that, since the two Granthams were too wrapped up in their own happiness to notice. Lilly quickly put the smile back up, as she held Cora's hand and stated,

"You must take care of yourself. I would trust only yourself at this point to protect your child."

Cora smiled lovingly at Lilly, as she said, "O'Brien has me all settled. But thank you."

Lilly then heard the door open, as O'Brien came in and looked over at Lilly. Lilly knew that O'Brien was one of the few people in the area who looked at Lilly with dislike, but then again, O'Brien did that to a lot of people, so Lilly didn't really mind.

With that, Lilly stood up, and said, "Cora, I must go, but please, let me know if you would like anything."

Cora seemed to deliberate on this, before stating, "Are you any good at making baby clothing? I want one with some of your embroidery in it."

Lilly tensed at that, before smiling with a grimace and responded with, "Of course. I will see what I can do."

Cora immediately sobered at the slightly forced cheery voice, before realizing what she had done. She bit her lower lip in slight guilt, as she watched Lilly excuse herself and leave her to rest. Cora looked over at O'Brien before lamenting with,

"Oh, O'Brien, I feel terrible. I had forgotten that Lilly lost her child right before coming here. And here I am gloating about this whole thing…"

O'Brien froze at this new information, having not known about it. O'Brien felt for Lilly just that moment, knowing that no woman should ever have to feel the pain of losing their child. She whispered back to her lady, as she responded with,

"I'm sure Lady Lilly understands, milady."

Cora could only stare outside, as she murmured, "I know that. I just hope I haven't put salt in her wounds."

Lilly calmly walked down the stairs, her thoughts in jumbles, when she ran into Matthew, who walked inside, having come from his work. He had ended work early, and had decided to stop by. Lilly smiled at him, and said,

"You should prepare to congratulate cousin Robert. There's good news. But please, remember to smile."

Matthew studied Lilly a little in curiosity at that bit of information, before noticing the slight sadness in her eyes. Something upset her, but she was putting a brave face and making a mask for everyone to see. He sighed, before smiling and stated,

"Of course. I'll see you later."

Lilly nodded, thanking Carson, before heading out and walking towards the Crawley house.

Later, Matthew arrived, and after dinner, everyone was gathered in the living room. Isobel looked a little bitter, as she tensely said,

"So he'll give us this house for life, will he? How generous."

Lilly looked worriedly over to George, who sat next to her, arm around her shoulders, as he said,

"Mother. It is generous. You know that he does not need to."

Matthew sighed and added, "George is right. But it did made me think. You must stay here if you want, so do you, George and Lilly. But I wonder if it mightn't be better all round if I went back to Manchester."

Isobel whispered out, "It may not be a boy. We don't know yet."

Matthew looked at his mother with a slightly annoyed look, though he tried to hide it, as he responded back with,

"Really, mother. You never approved of it all in the first place. If it is a boy, you should see it as a release, not a disappointment."

Lilly leaned her head on George's shoulder, seeking comfort silently, which her husband provided, making him smile a little, as their mother asked,

"What does Mary say?"

Matthew bitterly responded with, "Nothing yet."

That was when Molesley cautiously entered, announcing,

"You wanted to see Mrs. Bird, sir."

With that, their cook entered, causing Lilly to raise her head, and look over curiously as Matthew stated,

"Yes, Mrs. Bird, Lord Grantham has rather a favor to ask of you."

Mrs. Bird looked surprised at this, as she answered, "I'm surprised Lord Grantham knows that I exist, sir."

George and Isobel giggled quietly, but Lilly merely let an amused smile be put on her face.

~~…..~~

A few more days passed, and Lilly had managed to make a few more embroideries that she had been requested to make for the daughters of Lord Grantham. As she finished those, she then proceeded asking questions to Isobel about baby clothing in England. Isobel answered kindly as possible, but there were moments when Lilly could not hold her own emotions in and broke down in front of her mother-in-law.

Isobel patiently comforted her daughter-in-law, knowing that if she had lost George and Matthew early on, she would have been heartbroken as well. But knowing there was an untold factor into their story, Isobel knew that it would have been that much more tragic for both her younger son and Lilly.

But one day, Matthew stormed inside, as he announced what had happened of his proposal to Mary and how she answered him. George was in London again, and he was absent from the gathering, but Lilly seemed a bit miffed about the whole prospect of Mary's thought process. But then again, Lilly was not the typical lady of her country. She had denied her fiancé of over 10 years in favor of George after all.

Isobel commented glumly with, "Well, I'm very sad. I thought Mary was made of better stuff."

Lilly sighed, as she stated, "Don't speak against her. I'm sure she had her reasons."

That only seemed to fuel Isobel more, as she said in an annoying tone,

"Of course, she's taken advice from someone with false and greedy values."

Seeing just who she was putting the blame on, Matthew shook his head and said, "Oh, Mother."

Isobel finally yelled out in actual anger, "And we don't have to go too far to know who that is!"

Matthew seemed surprised at his mother's anger, and merely yelled out, "Mother!"

Isobel stood up, as she hurriedly said, "I've a good mind to-"

But Matthew stood up, immediately putting in effect his ultimatum towards his mother, as he stated,

"You are not to go near Cousin Violet. That is an order."

Isobel huffed at that, and Lilly worriedly glanced towards Isobel, before sighing. She was glad this was nothing like her situation with George. If Isobel realized how her grandfather had adamantly disagreed with her marriage to George, Isobel could probably find the energy to anger her grandfather as well in the afterlife.

Later next night, Lilly and the other Crawleys were at the Abbey for dinner. After the meal, they were all in the drawing room, where Lilly was sitting near Cora. Lilly merely listened in on the conversations, as she couldn't help but feel a little down at how Cora seemed to shine from her pregnancy. Cora looked over at her second daughter, and asked,

"So, how was the drive?"

Edith had a dreamy look on her features, before stating, "It was lovely. Only…"

Lilly looked over curiously as well, as Cora urged her daughter to keep talking, making Edith state,

"Well, he said he had a question for me. He told me he'd ask it at the garden party, and he hopes I'll say yes."

Lilly noticed Mary roll her eyes in the background, but Cora seemed to have as well, choosing to ignore her older daughter's antics, as she said to Edith,

"You must think very carefully what your answer will be."

Mary scoffed, "Yes, I should think very carefully about a lot of things."

Edith visibly lost her smile, clearly upset at her older sister's bullying, causing Lilly to frown a little, as Mary stood up. Lilly glanced over at George, who seemed to be in a rather deep discussion with his brother and Robert about telephones. Lilly shook her head in the difference in culture, when she overheard Violet annoyingly state to her mother-in-law,

"So, put that in your pipe and smoke it."

Lilly's eyes widened, while Cora merely sighed, knowing why that had happened. Coar apologetically looked towards Lilly then, and said in a quiet voice,

"I apologize for the other day. I should have been more careful with how I asked you for the baby clothes."

Lilly shook her head and smiled, as she answered back,

"It wasn't that, so don't worry cousin Cora. Rather, it did make me remember my own child and how I made her clothes. It does hurt, in a way. But… George and I are truly happy for you and cousin Robert. Truly."

Cora had a relieved and looked at Lilly thankfully. How could such a young girl be so grown up compared to her own daughters? Cora wondered at how different they were before Lilly finally retired herself with Isobel later that night.

The next day, however, Cora felt like her world had ended when she fell in her bathroom and lost her unborn child. In that short amount of time, Cora had gotten attached to her child, but it seemed so tragic to have lost her child.

Through this time, Lilly had come to her with her own cooking of broths, soups, and Asian food that were known to help with her health. Robert had thanked her in Cora's stead, and Cora could merely repeatedly as Lilly how she had gotten over her and George's loss of their daughter.

All Lilly could respond with, was, "I never have."

George understood why Lilly had thrown herself into taking care of Cora despite everyone stating that she did not need to. Lilly had never gotten the chance to properly get over their daughter's death. After all, she had witnessed the murder of their infant daughter, then immediately dragged to prison for unforeseen torture and interrogation.

He let her be, and even helped her cook, to Mrs. Bird's dismay. But the poor woman helped him learn what to do, while Maria supported her lady's efforts as well. Lilly appreciated George's help and always let him know how she appreciated his love for her through words and kisses.

On the day of the party, Lilly was in full white, which, to her shock, was more of a party outfit rather than the funeral dress code she was used to. She lounged inside the tent next to Cora, having learned to just share conversations with her and give her images of her country when it had been beautiful. Cora calmly listened, when O'Brien came over and gloomily said,

"I wish you'd come inside, milady."

Lilly knew that Cora should not even have come out this far from the estate, but she stayed quiet, knowing how Cora felt. The older lady shook her head and tiredly responded,

"No. People mustn't think I'm really ill. I don't want to cast a dampener on the party."

O'Brien looked discouraged, almost guilty, at that, and gently responded back as she placed a blanket over Cora's leg with a,

"Very well. But do you have everything you need, milady?"

Cora smiled grimly at her lady's maid, trying to cheerfully reply with, "Dear O'Brien."

With that, Cora grabbed O'Brien's hands, and Lilly watched with interest at that, as O'Brien looked even guiltier than before. Lilly did not comment on it, when cousin Violet suddenly rushed over and grabbed all the women's attention as she hurriedly said,

"O'Brien, O'Brien! Can I have a word?"

O'Brien numbly nodded, fearful of whatever was coming, when the Countess of Grantham blurted out,

"I need a favor and I don't want to bother Lady Grantham with it."

O'Brien glanced around and nervously responded with, "Certainly, milady."

Violet looked relieved at that, and responded with,

"She's been helping me find a new maid and we've had quite a few answers from her advertisement. Can you find where she's put them and get Branson to bring them to the Dower House?"

O'Brien looked decently shocked at this, but Lilly had decided to glance towards George, who was talking with others who had come to the party that day. He looked a lot younger and stress free, causing Lilly to smile and allow herself to ignore the conversation happening next to her.

Eventually, George caught her staring and smiled, and gestured for her to come over. Lilly smiled and excused herself, before going on a walk with George for a bit. Lilly wrapped her arms around George and they quietly walked in the shades of the trees, as Lilly said,

"George, are you happy here?"

George looked at his wife, startled at her question. Then he smiled warmly at her and responded,

"Of course I'm happy. I have you and my family safe and sound by my side."

Lilly smiled to her husband to, stating,

"I was wondering if… if you wanted to try for another child."

George stopped walking then, surprised at his wife's suggestion. He looked at her again, before fully turning towards her with a brilliant smile and a comforting one, as he answered her with,

"I love you regardless of a child or not. But are you sure? Is your body alright?"

Lilly nodded, and George saw her shy self that she rarely showed to people. After all, he had fallen for the charismatic woman that she was, and not the demure lady that always surrounded him. To him, she had always been a firecracker and a leader. An admirable unsung hero that would eventually be forgotten for her deeds.

George hugged her then, giving her a warm embrace as he whispered to her,

"I love you with all my heart. Always, to the end of time. I will always be there by your side when you need me from this day and forth."

Lilly snuggled herself closer when Robert's voice rang out in a panic,

"Please, will you stop, please!"

Both George and Lilly walked a little closer, as the string quartet stopped playing. They saw Robert look as if a heavy weight had been placed on his shoulders, as he seriously said,

"My lords, ladies, and gentlemen. Can I ask for silence?"

George and Lilly held their hands together in wariness and slight dread, when Cousin Robert dropped a tragedy on them with,

"Because I very much regret to announce… that we are at war with Germany."

Their hands tightened and the grips remained strong, as Lilly and George feared for their own future.

And George couldn't help but swallow thickly, as he remembered the vow that he had just made to his wife. She had fought before in an unknown war. She had risked her life and lost so much more.

But now, it was his turn to fight for his country. Could he be as brave as her in the battlefield?

He wasn't so sure. But he made a new vow to himself that moment:

He would do anything to come back to Lilly.

…

Anything.


	6. Once More Unto the Breach

**A/N: I am back! I apologize thoroughly for not having been able to come back to post chapters more frequently! Due to the recent pandemic, I have found some time to be able to work on the projects again! I will try to make sure that I can post from time to time, but please forgive me for inconsistent chapter updates! **

**Once again, please remember that other than my OCs, everything else belongs rightfully to the creators of Downton Abbey. **

**Eyeon: Technically, the term ninja is hinting towards a Japanese culture, so not necessarily. And regarding her background, more will be revealed soon, so please stay tuned! Thank you for your love and support!**

Chapter 6: Once More Unto the Breach

After the shocking announcement, Lilly and George had went back the Crawley house with both Isobel and Matthew. There, George and Lilly were sitting together on their bed in their room, where they held each other's hands tightly. Lilly could see the trepidation in her husband's eyes, something she was familiar with seeing in others. George whispered out in shock,

"I don't know when I have to go… but I don't want to leave you any sooner than I have to."

Lilly's eyes showed the understanding and sadness in them as she responded back quietly,

"I don't want you to leave if you're not feeling ready. But this is war, George."

Her husband disbelievingly chuckled, more from the shock than actual amusement, as he asked her,

"Is this what you felt?"

Lilly merely shook her head as she said, "No. It was slightly different. You have the chance to prevent something like that from happening. Your country, your government currently has the power."

George let out a tense sigh as he admitted and could not help but flash back to one of his later encounters with his wife before they had married. And he remembered the words that she had said to him when he had tried to dissuade her from risking her life for her country.

"_If life is a flower destined to wither, I wish for mine to bloom like fireworks."_

He hadn't been able to say anything to that, knowing that she was braver than most men, and he realized how her fire that she had, still probably had, was something rare that he wasn't sure he had.

Lilly, as if sensing his solemn thoughts, took his hand she had been already holding, in both of hers and said to him,

"It would be a lie if I said I wasn't scared of death. But fighting to protect those you love, for those you care about so they could remain the person they were born to be, is what kept me fighting. And I hope that you fight for the same thing. Not for anyone else. Not for the king, but for those who you know will be waiting for you."

George looked at his wife, love full in his eyes as he nestled his face into the crook of her neck, breathing shakily as he said,

"I will. I will fight for you."

Lilly sadly smiled, hugging him, making sure to make the most of whatever time they had.

~~ ….. ~~

Approximately three weeks later, Matthew was drafted to head out to war, whilst George had not received word yet. By the time Matthew left, Lilly and George realized how nervous cousin Robert seemed to be. They could sense that he had wanted to head out to war as well, but both individuals knew better. This war was not a normal one, and it was becoming more and more dangerous.

During this time, George and Lilly mad the most of their moments together, not wanting to regret anything by the time George was needed. Another week had passed, when George finally received a letter. He had opened it for breakfast, where both Isobel and Lilly were watching anxiously as he read it. George sighed heavily, before looking up to his mother, and said,

"I'm to head to London in a week's time. Apparently, they decided that they would not like me to head out to battle due to my injury from last time, but they would like my expertise in a more strategic way to help understand the atmosphere in the Asian countries along with Russia…"

Isobel couldn't help but let out a breath of relief as she said, "Then that means you wouldn't have to see battle in another country."

George nodded and said, "That seems like it, but it would mean that I might outrank Matthew, though I don't know what rank I'm getting as of yet. They haven't enclosed it in the letter."

Lilly looked curiously, though internally relieved. George looked towards his wife and smiled, stating,

"At least that injury did me some good this time I guess. I won't be too far away if I'm lucky. Though, I'd rather Lilly stay back here just in case."

Lilly nodded, understanding what he was saying. This wasn't just quite her battle. And with things going, she understood George's hidden meaning. If he or Matthew were not to come back, and things were to fall apart, he wanted Lilly to protect his mother.

Isobel didn't catch this hidden meaning, as she smiled and said, "Don't worry, Lilly and I will be keeping busy with the injured men. I'm thinking of something we could do just in case."

Lilly looked towards George a little worriedly then, while George just chuckled and said,

"Be gentle with my wife, dear mother."

Isobel smiled, though she happily resumed her breakfast, whilst George and Lilly quietly finished their meal, still not sure how to feel about the overall situation.

That night, Lilly helped her husband pack everything, as he got ready to depart the next morning. As she finished tucking in the last of the clothing for George, her husband crept up behind her before wrapping his arms around her waist.

Lilly smiled gently, as she stood up straighter, before saying,

"I hope you don't overwork yourself."

The younger Crawley brother smiled into her neck as he gently placed a kiss there, quietly stating,

"I'll be careful. And besides, I hadn't hurt myself too bad."

Lilly raised an eyebrow at that, clearly remembering how George had hurt his arm trying to protect her by shooting himself slightly below his shoulder. Given he had purposely grazed it, but it wasn't something she had liked. And thankfully, Britain seemed to want George's brain more than his body for this war, deeming that small injury to be enough to not let him see battle unless absolutely necessary.

George seeing the incredulous look in his wife's eyes, merely smiled and said,

"Compared to what you had to suffer; this is nothing."

With that he placed his palm onto her cheek in a gentle manner, which Lilly leaned into. Both husband and wife hoping to brave through this war. And of course, both knew what George had meant regarding her suffering. For he was particularly referring to two times in their lives.

The first being her and another operative, a hotel owner, both bombing that particular hotel, which had been housing Japanese soldiers. After the Japanese soldiers had not only brutally killed Joseon's soldiers, but also kidnapping civilians for enslavement, the independence fighters operating in Joseon had decided to make a point that the people of Joseon were still fighting for their country's independence by risking their lives by killing the majority of the soldiers that were residing in the capital outside of their base.

During the Japanese soldiers' celebration of their supposed victory over Joseon soldier's destruction and kidnapping of civilians, Lilly had lit the bomb that the hotel owner had set up. However, having heard from a different operative of what Lilly's role in the plan was, George, who had just returned to the country from England, rushed over, only to see the hotel explode.

He had run towards the ruins of the former hotel he used to reside in, managing to sneak a severely wounded Lilly away. He had treated her in secret, hiding away from Japanese soldiers himself trying to do so.

He had seen how heartbroken Lilly was when she saw him, thinking that she was dreaming him being there. That was the moment he had regretted ever leaving Lilly behind and vowed to take her away.

But this had not been the end of Lilly's suffering. Soon enough, despite the careful hidden identities of the operatives, the Japanese were able to finally attack Lilly's family.

One afternoon, Lilly was with their child while George was working with her aunt's family. However, despite being under Britain's protection, the Japanese somehow managed to ransack their home, killing everyone but Lilly, arresting her for supposed treason against Imperial Japan.

When George was finally able to take her out of the prison, Lilly was in poor health. And he had seen the wounds and emotional trauma that his wife had had suffered.

George had barely managed to take both of them away, where both he and Lilly were distraught from their loss of their newborn child. They had managed to sneak away with their handmaid, who had been with George on an errand when the tragedy had struck.

And even now, where George was about to depart for war, he couldn't help but admire his wife's fire and her sense of love towards him. She trusted him to return, just like she had asked him to trust that she would be fine during their early days.

He gently kissed Lilly on the lips, trying to portray how much he loved his wife, as he said,

"I love you."

Lilly hugged him tightly, whispering in return, "I love you."

With that, the night passed, and the couple spent the night showing their love to each other.

~~ ….. ~~

Eventually, time passed, and Lilly was helping Isobel spend the time. From time to time, Lilly and Isobel were invited over to the Abbey, where they had dinners there. The Granthams avoided the topic of the two sons, but Lilly knew that Mary wished to ask her about how her brother-in-law was doing.

And throughout the long time of the war, they had found that roughly two years had passed, and it was 1916. During this time, Lilly and George continued to write each other letters, which was a nice way for both of them to keep in contact. Of course, George did travel back down multiple times, as he was more readily available than Matthew, but the older Crawley brother had come down as well a few times.

And in one particular trip, Lilly had gone up to London instead at George's invitation. That's where she had met Lavinia. When Matthew had introduced her to the Crawley family, Lilly was a little surprised, but hid it well, as she conversed with the quiet woman. She was kind, for sure, and Lilly liked her, but she wasn't sure how Matthew had fallen for such a different woman when compared to Mary. Mary liked to speak her mind, and she had a sense of commanding aura about her, while Lavinia was gentle and quiet. But Lilly did not dislike Lavinia, and neither did George, so the married couple just silently watched from the sidelines, promising to support Matthew in his decisions.

But one morning, Lilly had followed her mother-in-law to the Abbey, where Robert had invited them over to look over the parlor as they set up a fundraiser for the war efforts. After all, Isobel had been working hard to make this work. Lilly hadn't really planned this event, but she was learning how her mother had prepared for the concert. Upon entry, they looked around, Lilly more intrigued by the setup than anything else, when Isobel commented,

"It's kind of you to let us have it here. They'll enjoy it so much more."

Violet looked smug as she entered, before she glanced towards Lilly, who was silently observing everything with curiosity, stating,

"And you can charge so much more for the tickets."

Robert greeted his mother with,

"Good morning, Mama. This is very early for you to be up and about."

Lilly turned to the Dowager Countess, who responded with,

"War makes early risers of us all. I thought I would help with the flowers."

Cora, who had been with them, commented tightly, but kindly,

"Basset has plenty, but… thank you."

That was when Lilly looked to the array of flowers, making her intrigued with the setup. It seemed… overly flamboyant for Lilly's taste, but that was her own personal opinion. But apparently it wasn't just her own thought, as Violet walked over while asking Robert,

"You don't mind my taking over the flowers, do you? Cora's flower always look more suited to a first communion in southern Italy. Well, what else have you planned for tonight's raffles?"

Robert sighed before answering his mother with a, "Anything we can think of that will raise money."

Violet turned back, laughing as she commented,

"Hot buttered toast with a countess, a tuppence a slice?"

Lilly held back a giggle at that. Violet had then urged Lilly to follow her around and help her with the flowers, which caused her to look at Isobel, who waved her to do it. After all, Isobel wanted Lilly to learn the way around living in a household in England, and Violet, despite their friendly battles, was a good teacher for Lilly.

As they were fixing the flowers, they later walked into the library, when Violet also called Anna over to get some extra hands for fixing the flowers. Lilly helped Violet pull some of the flowers out as Violet muttered,

"Looks like a creature from the Lost World."

Having never read the book, Lilly could only guess, but she smiled a little at the elder woman's humor. Once they finished, Anna collected the flowers they took out, when Cora, Isobel, and Robert entered.

Isobel noticed the two and said,

"Well, we thought we'd come in here for a little talk."

Violet muttered loud enough for everyone to hear,

"Oh. Well, I'm sure we won't be disturbed."

Lilly caught Cousin Robert rolling his eyes, but hid her smile, as he motioned for her and Isobel to sit on the couch. They did so, when Robert suggested,

"Please."

Isobel looked towards Lilly, who nodded, before looking awkwardly at the Granthams. After a second, she managed to state,

"Well, the thing is… I've had a letter from Matthew. Of course he doesn't tell me what he's actually doing. But neither does George tell me. I always hear some vague things from Lilly."

Robert smiled as he said, "No, they wouldn't. But I'm glad both are all right. I miss both Matthew and George."

Isobel then added, "Well, that's the point. You must know Matthew's been down here a few times since the war started."

Cora nodded as she looked polite, stating, "We had heard."

Violet commented to the side, "Downton is hardly a metropolis."

Robert quickly interjected with, "Is he still determined to go back to Manchester when it's all over?"

Isobel shook her head, as she said,

"He doesn't talk much about life after the war, none of them do. I suppose they don't want to tempt fate. Until now, that is. He writes that he's engaged to be married to a Miss Lavinia Swire."

Lilly noticed the slight disappointed, upset looks that flashed through all of them, as Violet tried to make it less awkward, as she said,

"Well, I- I suppose we all knew it would happen one day."

Robert asked Isobel, "Do you know her?"

Isobel shook her head, as she said,

"Not yet. But George and Lilly have met her. Apparently, they met when Matthew was in England last time. It all seems rather hurried."

They all looked towards Lilly, who answered with,

"She's kind. Lavinia is a sweet woman."

Robert sighed as he said, "You can't blame them for wanting to live in the present."

With that, everyone saw Robert turn around, as if trying to hide how disappointed he was in this new turn of events. Isobel hurriedly added,

"Anyway, he's been in London on leave, and now he's bringing her here to meet me. George is coming along as well. They will be here tonight and tomorrow, then Matthew leaves on Thursday while George and Lavinia stay for a bit."

Cora hesitantly asked, "So, will both of you miss the concert?"

Lilly looked towards her mother-in-law, who thought things through before carefully answering with,

"Well, that's up to you. We'd all hoped that he and Mary would sort things out between them, but if that's not to be, then shouldn't we try to get back to normal? Even if he's not keen to live in the village. He's still the heir. And you're still his family."

Robert turned back around to face Lilly and Isobel, who also glanced over cautiously, hiding the anxiety in their eyes as he responded kindly,

"I quite agree. We can't know if Matthew will come through it. Either way, I would like to see him, and I want to wish him luck."

Isobel smiled, while Lilly let a slight bit of relief show in her eyes. Cora shakily took in a slight breath in before saying cautiously,

"The trouble is Mary's back from London today as well. She gets in at five o'clock."

Lilly quickly and quietly added, a slight look of nervousness on her features as she said,

"George told me that they will be driving in Lavinia's car. They won't meet on the train."

Violet laughed lightly, not hiding her feelings about the matter at all as she said,

"Oh, that's a relief. I hate Greek drama. You know, when everything happens off stage."

Lilly looked genuinely perturbed and curious at that as Isobel narrowed her eyes before noticing Lilly's curious look. Isobel sighed and said,

"That's not what really happens."

Lilly seemed to gather Isobel's meaning when Cora interjected with,

"But shall we tell her not to come? We might still catch her."

Robert took a second to think, before stating,

"Isobel's right. We must use this engagement as a new beginning. You bring our Lieutenant and Captain Crawley to the concert and stay for dinner afterwards."

Lilly smiled lightly, though she still saw the slight disappointment in Cora's eyes, as Isobel stated,

"I was hoping you'd say that."

And for Lilly, it did make her feel better, as she found herself appreciating the Granthams more for accepting her for who she is. As Isobel headed out, Lilly rose from her seat, getting ready to head out when Robert asked,

"How's Captain George Crawley doing?"

Lilly noticed the hint of envy in Robert's voice, thinking of a good answer, before responding back with,

"He appreciates his work, but I think he appreciates the fact that he gets to participate in the war and protect his home country without having to see the horrors of battle any longer."

Robert smiled tensely, but kindly said,

"I have to admit, I still envy him a little."

Lilly's facial features drastically fell, as if remembering something dark, which Violet noticed immediately, as Lilly tensely responded back with,

"To be honest, George wishes that the war hadn't happened. But it has, and he will do anything to bring back more people home."

Robert finally seemed to have noticed that Lilly's mood had darkened, and was about to apologize when Violet intervened with a curt look to him, before stating gently,

"And he should. You must miss him terribly."

Lilly smiled shakily at that, looking a little grateful towards the elderly woman, answering,

"I do. I love him terribly."

Violet and Robert smiled warmly at that, before Cora headed down and the ladies left to get into the carriage.

Isobel and Violet sat on one side, while Lilly and Cora on the other. However, everyone noticed Cora's slight anger, and they hesitated before the topic of Sybil's interest of volunteering as a nurse was brought up. Cora vehemently disagreed while, to Lilly's surprise, Violet supported the notion.

Cora huffed out, "I'm sorry, but if Dr. Clarkson needs free labor, I'd prefer him not to find it in my nursery."

Isobel gently answered with, "But Sybil isn't in the nursery."

Violet added with frustration, while Lilly could only helplessly watch, as the woman said,

"No, and in case you haven't noticed, she hasn't been there for some time."

Cora sighed and answered, "You know what I mean."

Violet stared straight into her daughter-in-law's eyes as she responded with,

"Well, no not really. You can't pretend it's not respectable when every day we're treated to pictures of queens and princesses in Red Cross uniform, ladling soup down the throat of some unfortunate."

Lilly looked back to Cora, who did not seem convinced as she said,

"But Sybil won't be ladling soup. She'll have to witness unimaginable horrors, and she's an innocent."

Isobel countered that with,

"Her innocence will protect her."

But when Violet said,

"For once I agree with Cousin Isobel. Sybil must be allowed to do her bit like everyone else."

All three women other than the Dowager Countess were shocked at that revelation and stared at her for a bit when the carriage finally came to a halt and the door opened to reveal the butler of the Crawley House. Isobel took Molesley's hand and got off, followed by Lilly. As Lilly's feet touched the ground, Cora took this opportunity to ask their butler,

"What about you, Molesley? Are you ready for the call if it comes?"

Lilly could notice the clear discomfort and guilt in her butler's eyes as he stuttered out,

"It won't be coming for me, milady. I had a letter from the war office. They say I'm not suitable for service."

Cora looked concerned as she asked, "Why not?"

Molesley's appearance of discomfort grew as he quietly answered,

"I really couldn't say, milady."

Lilly couldn't really judge Molesley, knowing that war was a terrifying aspect. And for not having witnessed horrors and the fact that a war broke out for something that seemed so far away, it might not be as motivating for all people to freely volunteer, though a lot have.

But as if not sharing her sentiment, Isobel spoke up with,

"As you can imagine, Molesley's father is beside himself with joy."

Lilly grimaced, though it was slight, Violet had noticed, and she merely commented with,

"God moves in a mysterious way, his wonders perform."

And with that, Violet settled, looking towards Cora ask if their earlier discussion had not ended, and Molesley finally closed the door. Lilly and Isobel shared a look before Isobel said,

"I can do with some tea right now."

Lilly merely nodded, hoping that George would arrive soon. After a few cups of tea, Lilly saw a car pull in and rose, wanting to see her husband. Isobel smiled slightly at the excited gleam in her daughter-in-law's eyes. Lilly was respectful and the picture perfect image of a lady from a household like the Abbey, in which, she was, but Isobel could tell there was a hidden fire in the woman that had married her second son. A fire that had drew her son in like a moth to a flame.

When Molesley finally brought George, Matthew and Lavinia inside, Lilly came out of the sitting room and the married couple made eye contact. A few seconds passed, when George ran up to his wife and wrapped his arms around her quickly. Lilly smiled and embraced him back, not minding her brother-in-law and his fiancée for just a quick moment. She rested a hand to his chest and let his warmth sink in before they parted as Isobel gently cleared her throat.

George chuckled and pecked a kiss to Lilly's cheek. Matthew and Lavinia could only watch them with a warm smile, both thinking how adorable the two were. And Isobel decided to make herself known as she came up to Lavinia and introduced herself.

After all the introductions were over, Lavinia was provided a separate room for the night, and they all prepared for the concert that evening. As George cleaned himself up and prepared, he and Molesley were conversing quietly, when Lilly walked in, which Molesley understood as a signal that the couple wanted to talk.

As the butler closed the door behind him, George leaned back to his closet, admiring his wife, as she was wearing a slightly dark green dress that had a shimmer to it. He had bought it for her when she had been in London the last time, asking her to wear it when he came for the concert.

Lilly blushed a little, at George's appreciation of her and asked with an effort to sound nonchalant,

"What?"

George chuckled and walked over to her, putting a hand to her cheek, stating,

"I missed you."

Lilly smiled and said,

"Well, I'm here."

George laughed at that and said, "Yes, you are. And I'll make sure to enjoy every single second of my time with you."

Lilly shook her head, a smile gracing her features as she said,

"You always say that nowadays."

George's eyes sparkled mischievously as he said,

"Can you really blame me? I have a beautiful wife supporting me through this, lending me her strength and knowledge."

Lilly flicked him on his forehead, causing her husband to pout a little as she said,

"You're insufferable."

George nuzzled his nose to hers gently, as he whispered,

"But know this, I will love you, always. Wherever I am."

Lilly let her arms wrap around his waist, hugging him as she returned,

"Forever. Regardless of where we both end up."

But their moment was interrupted when there was a knock at the door and the couple heard Matthew's voice from the other side, stating,

"You two ready? Mother and Lavinia are waiting by the door."

George sighed, grumbling something that Lilly didn't quite catch, before he held her hand. Lilly's smaller hands tightened in grip, and George opened the door, facing Matthew, and said,

"Ready, brother?"

Matthew rolled his eyes at the almost sickeningly lovely couple, and answered,

"Yes, George. Now hurry, we have to get there quickly. Thanks to you, we're late."

George shrugged and retorted,

"We haven't seen each other in weeks. I have to make the most of it."

Matthew chuckled at that, while Lilly blushed. They soon made their way over to Downton, and upon their arrival, all of them saw people entering the Abbey for the concert. George and Matthew were dressed in their scarlet red mess jackets and black ties.

Upon entry, Lavinia quietly whispered in awe to Matthew,

"It's awfully grand"

Matthew looked around, stating happily,

"You'd better get used to it. It will be your home one day."

Lavinia sighed, which did not go unnoticed by both George and Lilly, as she said,

"I'm not sure 'home' would ever be quite the word to describe it."

That was when George noticed Robert come up to them. The Earl shook Matthew's and then George's hands as he said,

"My dear fellows, welcome back. It's so very good to see you."

Matthew then gestured towards Lavinia, as he said,

"May I present Miss Lavinia Swire."

Lavinia blushed a little, trying to impress Matthew's predecessor as she said,

"How do you do, Lord Grantham."

Robert smiled politely, responding with, "How do you do, Miss Swire."

Robert then looked towards Lilly, smiling as he said,

"Lilly, nice to see you again."

Lilly smiled too as she said, "Thank you for hosting the event."

Robert nodded, before indicating to the group,

"Now, please come this way."

Lavinia thanked the Earl, still trying to take her surroundings in when Mary came up. George and Lilly decided to give the three people some space as Robert noticed their intent, he showed them their seats. The couple could see the clear tension between the three individuals, and were glad to stay away from it, if possible.

Once that had been settled, and all the guests had been seated, the concert had started. Lilly was enjoying the concert when suddenly, two women stood up and started handing out white feathers.

The moment she noticed, George had saw this as well, and Lilly felt him tense as his hand, which had been holding hers, tightened. Lilly could see her husband's brewing anger, which was always a rare sight, but this seemed to irk him, when dear William received one. William, who had been a little clueless to its meaning, asked,

"What is it?"

The girl that had handed him the feather bit out, "A white feather, of course… coward."

That caused Robert and both George to stand up, while the Earl immediately yelled out,

"Stop this at once!"

Lilly's eyes narrowed at the girls and William stood up awkwardly, looking dejected. George grit out,

"This is neither the time nor the place!"

The other girl stepped up as she countered,

"These people should be aware that there are cowards among them."

Robert sighed, trying to hold himself back from losing more composure, as he said, angrily,

"Will you please leave? You are the cowards here, not they!"

That caused Robert's valet, Mr. Bates, to stand and escort the women to leave. Quietly, Robert nodded to William, who looked like he wanted to cry. George sat back down, trying to ease his anger. Lilly quietly held his hand and squeezed it, rubbing circles on the back of his hand with her thumb. George's tense stature relaxed somewhat, but Lilly knew that the anger was still deep down there. She understood that anger he felt. After the horrid event ended, and the concert resumed, everyone tried to remain optimistic, but it was clear that everyone's mood had soured just a little, if not more.

When dinner finally arrived, William was serving Cora, who apologetically stated,

"That was horrid, William. I hope you won't let it upset you."

William smiled gratefully as he said, "No, Your Ladyship."

Robert sighed and added, "Why are these women so unkind?"

Edith must have thought that was the right moment to speak up, as she added,

"Of course, it is horrid, but when heroes are giving their lives every day, it's hard to watch healthy young men do nothing."

Robert looked guiltily at William, who seemed to catch the unsaid meaning of his glance and moved on. George then said,

"Helping things continue to keep moving as they are is another way to contribute to the war. I don't know why those women don't know that."

Edith quickly bit her tongue at that, her cheeks flaming a little. Robert and Cora looked a little surprised at George's quiet, but stern comment. They had never seen this serious, angry side of George before and it alarmed them. Lilly gave a slight look to George, who saw it before looking down and continue to eat quietly.

Robert did not miss the shared look and looked towards Lilly gratefully at that, not wanting to ruin the mood even more, when Isobel stepped up with,

"By the way, Sybil, very good news. They do have a vacancy. It's very short notice, because someone dropped out."

Sybil smiled, her eyes bright with joy, when Isobel kindly added,

"You'd have to be ready to start on Friday."

Robert looked curiously at the woman and asked, "May I ask what this is about?"

Sybil answered excitedly,

"Cousin Isobel has got me a place on a nursing course in York. I want to work at the hospital."

Cora, clearly more upset than the others, responded with,

"We don't have to talk about it now."

And the glare that she sent Isobel was so visible that the entire table went quiet once more. After a minute or two, Edith braved to start a conversation with,

"Branson says I'm ready for the road."

Robert paused and said enthusiastically, "That's not what he told me."

But there was a pause as Edith clearly deflated a little, when Lilly heard Lavinia say,

"Oh, how delicious, I love these."

Robert then turned his attention to Lavinia, asking,

"How did you and Matthew meet?"

As Lavinia finished getting the food from the dish Carson offered, she answered,

"Oh, in London. My father works in London, so I've always lived there. But I love the country, too."

Violet answered snarkily, "Of course you do."

Lavinia took it in stride, her smile not wavering as she continued,

"Daddy's a solicitor, like Matthew."

Violet commented once more, "My, my. You're very well-placed if you're ever in trouble with the law."

Robert quickly changed the topic, facing Matthew and George, stating,

"Did I tell you I've been given a colonelcy in the North Riding Volunteers? So, I'm properly in the army again."

George turned to Sybil, who sat next to him, as he quietly asked,

"He's not going to the front, is he?"

Sybil shook her head, but Lilly heard Matthew asking something along the same lines to Mary.

The somewhat awkward dinner ended, and the party had split up into small groups for conversation in the drawing room, where Lilly sat next to George, while they talked with Robert. Robert enthusiastically asked George about his work, and George answered cautiously.

Robert then asked, "Don't you wish to go to the front?"

George's gaze went down to the fire, and Lilly immediately noticed the sadness in them. She didn't know what he was remembering, but clearly it upset him, and her husband quietly said,

"To be honest, I think it's harder to be the one in charge of sending these men and hearing that they didn't make it. It's one thing to be in the front and fighting, but coming up with the missions, arguing with higher ups behind the scenes… it's hard, Cousin Robert."

Robert studied the man in front of him, before asking,

"You're more covert operations, aren't you?"

George nodded, and said,

"I'm supposed to get promoted to Major apparently because of my work, but… I'm not sure if I'm worthy of that. Not with the way this war is turning out."

Robert sighed and said, "You don't sound enthusiastic about this war."

George smiled bitterly and answered,

"Can you blame me? I am the one that is possibly sending someone's father, husband, or brother to potential death. And if they survive, many are wounded and traumatized. And sometimes, they are never heard of ever again. I've faced dangers before, and I've seen what brutality does when done in a country's name. Lilly's suffered it as well. We've probably seen more than deserved."

Lilly then realized what he was thinking of and held back her tears that sprang up. Robert noticed the solemn mood he had directed his family, and guilt sprang up again. He too, had seen the horrors of battle, and did not think carefully of George and Lilly's circumstance with his enthusiasm. He didn't know their story well, but he could tell it was wrought with nightmares.

Eventually, the Crawleys and Lavinia departed, heading home for the night. And once again, within the short period of time, George and Lilly were stuck together like glue, trying to savor the time they had together just in case George did, have to travel for his role.

And like that, the waiting continued, and Lilly tried to busy herself with helping Isobel with the woman's task in supporting the community. Of course, excluding Isobel's grief of Molesley's hesitance of joining the war.


	7. Reminder: Sad Endings and New Beginnings

**A/N: There is one historical figure that does actually exist in history. I wanted to just make note that the person's presence in this story is purely fictional. The mentioning of this person is to commemorate the good deeds that they have done, and it is briefly mentioned of what they did in history. However, the meeting between my OC and this person did not happen as this work is fiction.**

I am not mentioning the name in this author's note as I don't want to spoil you now, but please pay attention to the author's note after the chapter and google the person if interested!

Chapter 7: Reminder of Sad Endings and New Beginnings

A few days passed and George had gone back to London. Meanwhile, Lilly had been reading a letter George had sent, trying to grasp what his words meant. In the letter, he stated that he wanted Lilly to meet someone the next time he came down to Downton.

In the letter, George maintained an air of mystery, keeping details vague about who she was going to meet despite his honest nature. Perplexed by this and not sure who she could possibly meet, she kept re-reading the letter.

A few minutes later, Maria came to her and announced that Cousin Violet had arrived. Tucking her letter away in a small box, Lilly headed down to meet the Dowager Countess of Grantham. Isobel was already there, and Lilly heard her mother-in-law state,

"I'm sure it would, but-"

Lilly approached and she silently nodded to Molesley for tea, who gladly served her. As she sat down, Cousin Violet said,

"Ah, Lilly. How are you?"

It looked like Cousin Violet was holding back a snarky remark, and Lilly politely smiled, now seeing Dr. Clarkson there. The man had come so frequently lately, that Lilly had lost count. Lilly nodded and said amusedly,

"Yes. Although, I am assuming that this has something to do with signing up for the war?"

Cousin Violet's lips pursed even more, if that had been possible, as she stated,

"Yes… Isobel and I were debating about the duty of the people."

Lilly had to refrain the urge to bite down on her lips to hold back either a laughter or a groan. She wasn't sure which emotion she felt more strongly, and maintained a straight face, as Cousin Violet turned to Isobel and said,

"But… but anyways, I heard William's father would be left on his own if anything happened to the boy. And what would become of Carson if the last of his staff were to go?"

Isobel looked right at Violet, causing Dr. Clarkson to grimace a little, as she bit out,

"That's not the point. 

Violet must have had enough, as she yelled out, "Do you want Molesley to die?"

Lilly sighed when she saw Moleley's face turn blanch white, while Dr. Clarkson closed his eyes, trying to stay neutral by all means. But the stress must have been too much, as he turned away slightly to pinch the bridge of his nose to relieve some tension there.

Isobel huffed out, "Of course I don't."

Lilly and Dr. Clarkson could only listen, as Violet seemed to ignore that statement as she muttered out,

"Well…"

That seemed to set a fire to Isobel, as she heatedly argued,

"I don't want my sons to die either. And I am sure that Lilly does not want to lose a husband. But this is war, and we must be in it together. High and low, rich and poor. There can be no special cases, because every man at the front is a special case to someone."

Dr. Clarkson sighed, as he said, "Mrs. Crawley is right. I understand your motives, Lady Grantham, and I do not ciriticize them."

Violet looked towards Lilly, who dearly wished to be somewhere else than this heated debate, as she answered,

"Having come from a country that has seen war not too long ago, I think that as much as mother is correct that we can't have too many men, I also think that familial duty is important. George explained the drafting system to me, and I believe that when the time comes, William will go. And I believe that even if men were to go, if they are reluctant to fight physically, should we really push them to do so? Wouldn't that be cruel if we forced them in without the proper procedures?"

Violet smirked smugly, as she said victoriously, "Thank you."

Isobel looked at Lilly with frustration, though she understood what her daughter-in-law was stating. However, that seemed to clear Dr. Clarkson's conflicted thoughts, as he looked towards the butler and said,

"Molesley, I shall write to the ministry at once, correcting the misinformation. But that's all I will do."

The butler seemed to tremble, causing everyone to feel a little guilty. Or at least Lilly and Violet did. Isobel seemed to smirk in pride, as she told the man,

"Molesley, you understand why I said what I did?"

Their butler squeaked out, "Indeed, I do, ma'am.'

Isobel tried to ease the man's nerves by saying,

"You won't be called up at once. Not while there are younger men to be taken."

Violet huffed at that, quietly commenting,

"But they'll get you in the end, Molesley. And you can blame Mrs. Crawley when they do."

And despite her quiet comment, everyone in the room had heard and all Lilly could do was pray that poor Molesley did not go. After all, even if he did, she wasn't sure if he could survive a gust of wind blowing at him.

And like that, Lilly busied herself with talking to Mrs. Bird and Maria about how they could help around town. Mrs. Bird stated that she was not sure that there were ways to help town, as the woman was busy, and Lilly had requested that the woman teach Maria how to cook as well.

Maria seemed eager to do so, since she already knew how to cook, but she did not really know English recipes. Mrs. Bird, on the other hand, wanted to learn Korean cuisine, and both women eagerly agreed to take their time to do so. Whatever ingredients were needed, Lilly agreed to be the one to provide the costs to do so. After all, she had nothing better to do.

George continued to write her letters, describing his days in London, and his travels to other towns or cities if needed. But in regard to their mysterious guest, George remained quiet.

A few days later, Cora invited Lilly and her family over to dinner. Lilly had quickly accepted, though she did not display her brightened mood at the chance to visit them again. After all George had agreed to come down the same night.

When George found time to change before they went to the Abbey, Lilly waited for him. Once he was done, Lilly entered the room, and smiled at her husband. The man turned to face his wife, before opening his arms wide. Lilly walked up to him and hugged him tightly. The two remained that way for a bit, before George said,

"Do you have time in two days? The guest is coming then."

Lilly raised an eyebrow, her curiosity peaking, but she did nod in response. Lilly asked,

"Would I know who he is?"

George shook his head and said, "No. Not really, but he did seek me out. He's coming from China."

Lilly tensed, before looking up at him and asked,

"China?"

George nodded, and said, I want it to be a surprise. But don't worry. I made sure he was on our side."

Relieved at that, Lilly let out a sigh and said, "Thank you."

George smiled a little sadly, knowing what she was thanking him for, and said,

"I wonder when this will all be over."

Lilly sighed and said, "Hopefully, within our lifetimes."

~~ ….. ~~

Once the Crawleys arrived, everyone was greeted to each other. Cora introduced her to Sir Richard Carlisle with,

"Sir Richard, this is George Crawley, and his wife Lilly."

The man seemed to intently study her, causing an irritation to rise in Lilly, as she smiled politely, and shook his hand. However, Lilly's eyes remained just as intense as Richard Carlisle's trying to gain some sense of the man.

George bristled at the way the man's eyes zoned into his wife, and his smile turned sour.

Robert noticed the tense exchange but didn't comment on it. He hadn't expected Lilly to take this greeting seriously, nor as how a soldier would greet an enemy soldier, but that was what it looked like to him. By the time the two people separated from the handshake, George immediately stepped in-between, facing his wife to prevent the man from talking to them. It was clearly a signal to Carlisle to back off and not communicate with them. Robert knew it was a rude gesture, but he couldn't wonder if it meant that Carlisle was a questionable figure.

Later in the dining room, Lilly was talking with Lavinia, when suddenly, Edith yelled out, causing all conversations to stop and look over in that direction. To everyone's shock, Edith was covered in sauce while Carson began to have difficulty breathing. Everyone stood up at that, before Isobel led Carson to her chair, being closest to him. She then directed Edith,

"Edith, go with Branson and fetch Major Clarkson. I'll telephone and explain what's happened."

Edith snobbishly complained, "What about my dress?"

Lilly's eyes widened at that notion, and Cora seemed to quickly angry at her daughter, as she scolded her in front of everyone with,

"Edith! We'll get you a coat! Come."

With that, Edith was dragged off. Sybil rushed to Carson and tried to help the man out, while Violet commented to Carlisle with worry for the butler in her voice,

"You'll find there's never a dull moment in this house."

George looked at Violet with surprise that she could joke at such a time, when Matthew volunteered him and his brother to help move Carson.

Once Carson was relocated, dinner was cut short. Lilly eventually headed back to the Crawley house with Lavinia. However, George stayed back to help. Eventually, Robert and Cora led them to the door, where Matthew headed out first. George hesitated before turning to Robert and asked,

"Cousin Robert, would it… would it be alright if I could bring a guest of mine over in two days? It would be a meeting in the library. But… he says he has something for Lilly and I did not tell her who he is."

Robert looked at his wife with bafflement, before asking, "And who is this guest? We would be happy to have him here, but it would be nice to know."

George nodded, a slight relief in his eyes, as he said, "An Englishman working in China. He captains ships in East Asia for now. And due to the war, we got in contact since he was there. But he says he was stopping by to meet with us and heard that Lilly was my wife and requested to meet her."

Cora smiled at that and said, "We would be happy to host him here. Maybe he could stay for dinner as well."

Robert nodded and said, "If he wishes to meet Lilly, and Lilly gets the opportunity to meet more people, it would be our pleasure to help. After all, it must be difficult for her to be by herself when you are in London."

George smiled tensely at that, and said, "It is. She is a woman of action, so being in a quiet place might drive her mad from the lack of things to do. But I believe that knowing mother, Lilly might also have a handful trying to keep peace between Cousin Violet and mother."

Robert chuckled at that and merely said, "Indeed."

With that, George thanked them for the request, and went back to the Crawley house.

The next day, George and Lilly spent their time together lazily, not wanting to have to separate from each other for much too long. However, due to Lavinia's presence they had to make appearances to meals and even attend other events. Together, the couple went on a walk, had a picnic, and even spent some time together.

After they changed, George knocked before entering their room. Lilly turned and smiled at her husband. George went up to her and pecked her on the cheek, careful not to smudge her makeup. He whispered,

"You're so beautiful."

Lilly blushed before, teasingly pushing him away and said, "We have a dinner to attend. Perhaps after."

George chuckled and said, "I don't think I'll survive the oncoming storm of mother and Cousin Violet."

Lilly rolled her eyes and responded back with, "If I can survive that when you and Matthew are not here, you surely can."

George groaned, but smiled at that. After all, he did have that surprise for Lilly arriving the next day.

At dinner, Robert politely asked Matthew,

"What was it like at the hospital today?"

Matthew muttered out, with a haunted look,

"At the front… the men pray to be spared, of course… but if that's not to be… they pray for a bullet that kills them cleanly. For too many of them today, that prayer had not been answered."

Robert seemed to look a little stricken at that response, and looked back down to his food, trying to act as if that short conversation had not taken place. Lilly could see the slight look of dismay in Robert's eyes, but she hoped that Robert would rethink his wish to go to the front.

After that, the dinner was not eventful other than Edith declaring she had driven a tractor. And in one corner of her mind, Lilly was curious as to who her husband wanted to introduce her to.

Another day had passed afterwards, where Lilly and George merely spent time talking with Isobel. Isobel had finally decided in making Downton a new place for injured soldiers. George tried to help out in the nicest possible way, but also warned his mother about the fact that they were not the owners of the Abbey.

And as usual, Isobel had huffed at that and determined it was for the greater purpose and that the family should not have a problem with her plans. Of course, George and Lilly both shared a concerned look at her comment. After all, Lilly understood that it would be one thing to house someone they knew, but another to house several total strangers.

Then the long awaited second day came. The day that George's guest would arrive. George had sent Lilly ahead to the Abbey, where she would meet the mysterious person. Cora had offered to serve tea, and Lilly had accepted. They were talking about Sybil's passion for nursing, when Robert had joined in. The parents were rightfully concerned for their youngest daughter, and Lilly could provide some silly stories of her own stubborn adventures. Robert thought Lilly interesting, whilst Cora thought that perhaps Sybil and Lilly would make great friends.

Later in the afternoon, George arrived. Lilly stood at the sight of her husband who was beaming widely. Curious about the guest, Cora and Robert stood as well to welcome the person to their home. George then came into the library, followed by an older gentleman with a stocky build. He was much older than Lilly was expecting, but she smiled politely.

George came up to her, and introduced them to the gentleman with,

"Lilly, Cousin Robert and Cora, this is George Lewis Shaw. Mr. Shaw, this is Robert Crawley, the Earl of Grantham and his wife Cora, the Countess of Grantham. And this, is my wife Lilly. Or more formally known as Lady Kyung-Ha."

Mr. Shaw smiled, and shook hands firmly with both Robert and Cora. And to the older couple's surprise, the man then looked a little awestruck at Lilly, before bowing to her in an almost 90 degrees.

Lilly's eyes widened at that, and she bowed, as well, but not as low. And then Mr. Shaw said,

"Lady Lilly. It… it is an honor to meet you here in England. You may not know me, but I used to be a good friend of your associate. Mr. Kim said to deliver this to you and that you would know."

With that, Mr. Shaw took out a letter from his inside pocket, and offered it to Lilly with both hands, as if she was his superior. Lilly gently grasped the letter before asking the guest to sit. Cora and Robert looked hesitant, but Lilly smiled at them and signaled that it was alright for them to remain in the library with them.

Upon opening the letter, Lilly found it to have been written in Korean. It translated as,

"_My Lady,_

_It is with great happiness for me to write this letter. All I hope is that you have adjusted to your new life there in England. Mr. Shaw is a generous man who has been helping our cause from here. I have asked him to deliver this letter in the meantime, as the hope that he could connect you to some of our operatives there in England. Mr. Shaw has also thankfully volunteered to deliver you a precious item that we hope you and Master George could protect for us. _

_Your loyal servant and friend, _

_Mr. Kim."_

Robert and Cora looked on curiously as Lilly read the letter but grew slightly concerned at the sight of Lilly's tearful gaze. Lilly gently put the letter back into the envelope, before taking in a shaky breath before looking back up at Mr. Shaw.

The elderly man smiled wistfully and said, "He asked me to also deliver you this."

And with that, Lilly's husband received the suitcase the elderly man handed them and opened it. Lilly's breath hitched at the sight of her country's flag sitting inside the small suitcase. Robert and Cora wondered what this meant for the girl, but it was clear by the expression on the younger Crawley's face, that this was a significant moment for the couple.

And with that, the man bent his knees and kneeled, before bowing on the floor, shocking everyone in the room. Carson froze at the sight, as he had been watching for any signs that he could help with refreshments. And even with all his years, despite his knowledge that people in the East did show deference with such movements, he did not expect an English gentleman to do so for Lilly. And by the young woman's facial expression of surprise, he could tell that neither did she.

Lilly grew flustered, as she bent down and said,

"Mr. Shaw! Please, get up."

But the man looked at the younger woman, before responding sadly with,

"I personally wish to express my condolences, my lady. I have tried to save Mr. Kim… but the Japanese soldiers…"

Lilly's grip on the elderly man's arms tightened a little as she froze at the news. Mr. Kim had been the leader of the independence league of her district. He had been the one to help some of her family get out of the country before it was too late. He was the person who had taught her how it did not matter if she was a woman. If she wanted to free her country from colonization, she could do so as an equal. As a person.

The fact that her mentor had passed away hurt her so deeply that she couldn't react, and eventually, her husband George kindly, but sadly said,

"Mr. Shaw… thank you for informing us. I'm sure you must be tired. Please, get up. If anything, we should be the ones to bow…"

Cora and Robert both helped George Lewis Shaw stand, as Robert said,

"I'm sure Carson could show you your room. We hope that you don't mind staying for dinner."

Mr. Shaw looked towards Lilly, who wiped away a tear, as she tried to hold her pain in. Trying to follow British customs of not showing too much emotion, Lilly smiled tensely as she said,

"Please stay."

Those two words seemed to do the trick, as the man quietly nodded, before following Carson to go to his room at the Abbey. Once the man went to go rest, Cora turned to Lilly before asking,

"I'm so sorry. We don't know anything, but if you need anything, let us know."

Robert nodded and said,

"Is that your country's flag?"

Lilly merely nodded. Everyone in the room could see that on the white cloth put on the flag, there was a red and dark blue swirl of a circle. And on each edge, there were black lines where one started with three, and each section went up to six lines. And despite the tears on some of the edges, the family could see that the flag was kept in nice shape.

The couple spent a quiet moment in silent appreciation of the flag, before Lilly closed the suitcase and George said to Cora and Robert,

"It is. But you must not share this with anyone. Please ask Carson to not share this."

Robert frowned and asked,

"Why is that? After all, isn't this a flag? Shouldn't we fly this along with our own country's flag in appreciation of Lilly's heritage?"

George shook his head and said,

"Japan has made it illegal to show patriotism to Joseon before Japanese occupation. I'm afraid that this, though it is symbolic for both Lilly and I, is not quite safe to do so."

Cora and Robert tensed at that before Cora said,

"We'll make sure that nobody says a word."

And with that, George and Lilly smiled gratefully at them, before walking outside, hoping to get some fresh air to avoid breaking down completely. All Cora and Robert could do was watch the couple hold each other tightly, as if they were escaping from a nightmare that kept haunting them.

Robert sighed after they left, and said to his wife,

"I can't help but feel bad for the girl. All she did was live in a country where she had been born in. And now this…"

Cora sighed and said, "It shows us that we must not take what we have for granted. That we can't take our own family for granted. Robert… maybe we should talk with Isobel about what she had mentioned before…"

Robert sighed again and said, "I agree with you. Whatever way we could help, we should think about it. Maybe it would help Lilly to keep busy as well. But I'm not sure if mother would watch this happen."

Cora grimaced a little before stating,

"Well, it is our house. And technically, you are the Earl and owner of the estate."

Robert chuckled at that a little, feeling the tensions ease just slightly, as he responded with,

"You know that has never stopped my dear mother."

~~ ….. ~~

Later that night, dinner proceeded calmly, where Mr. Shaw just retold stories of his own past and what he thinks of the war. Robert kept that part of the conversation going. But he could tell that George and Lilly were grateful that they didn't need to talk much. After all, he and Cora had agreed a few hours earlier that it would be best to keep Mr. Shaw entertained separately, by bringing Violet over for dinner. Fair enough, the two people reminisced about a different Russia and enjoyed the dinner. Meanwhile, Isobel seemed to have noticed something off with her son and her daughter-in-law, so kept her snarky comments to herself. It wouldn't help to make dinner grim when the mood itself was fragile.

Even Sybil had joined dinner, upon having heard that Lilly wasn't feeling too great. To Cora, it seemed as if Sybil looked up to Lilly in a way. And it warmed her heart that her own daughter was passionate and caring.

With that, Mr. Shaw rested before leaving early the next morning, declaring that he had work to do. George had picked him up and accompanied him to London. He had explained to Cora and Robert that the man had to meet with other acquaintances.

However, the truth was vaguely hidden. Mr. Shaw actually had brought other people from Joseon and was preparing to help them settle in England. And George was allowed by the government to get this working. After all, George was able to fluently communicate with the people and translate for the government. Mr. Shaw was limited in his own capabilities, so he only was really going to remain in the country for business purposes more so than his own well-being.

Like that, the days passed, and Isobel and Cora, along with Violet, surprisingly, kept Lilly busy. They had decided to support the young woman so that she did not feel alone or left out of the loop. This involved Lilly being in many discussions, before Cora involved Lilly into helping out at the Abbey.

One particular day, Lilly found herself at the hospital, assisting Isobel and Sybil. They were guiding soldiers, who did not seem to mind Lilly's presence. Rather, it was as if they were too preoccupied by their own pain to even notice. They just merely heard her voice and followed where she directed them to. She did have the option of staying back at the Crawley house to spend the day with Lavinia, but it had seemed awkward to do so. After all, she wanted Lavinia to feel comfortable, and staying at a house with a potential in-law without the men was not something either women were comfortable about. With that in mind, Lilly had opted to come to the hospital instead. As she was doing so, she eventually noticed Branson walk up and state to them,

"Her Ladyship had Mrs. Patmore make this up for you so you could eat something during the day."

Sybil groaned out, "Oh, I won't have time."

But that was the exact moment Matthew had decided to enter the cottage, as he greeted Dr. Clarkson. He came up to his sister-in-law and his mother, and Isobel stated,

"Oh, Matthew. I'm afraid we are very busy, as you can see."

Matthew glanced over to Lilly, and the woman gave a slight nod, as if to assure him that all was fine. He looked around and whispered,

"I just want to help."

Lilly could see a shadow come over Matthew's face as he grew shocked at the injured soldiers around them. Then he looked towards Lilly in worry, but it seemed as if his sister-in-law was used to the sight. What he didn't realize though, was just how comfortable Lilly was with war injuries. After all, Lilly herself, fought for her country as much as she could. She even had the scar on her leg and torso to prove it.

Branson risked a glance to Sybil, before asking her,

"Is it what you thought it would be?"

Sybil shook her head, and answered,

"No. No, it's more savage and more cruel than I could've imagined, but I feel useful for the first time in my life, and that must be a good thing."

With that, Sybil turned to Matthew, who just stood there gaping in shock, asking him,

"Matthew, are you busy?"

The heir then quickly joined in the efforts of helping the wounded soldiers. And that was when Lilly seemed to stand up to help the next soldier when she noticed Branson give Sybil a loving look discreetly. Lilly instantly recognized that look. For it was very similar to that of George's look when he declared his love for her.

After a few hours of helping, Matthew greeted his family goodbye before heading back to the Crawley house. Lilly was helping a soldier who came in with his arm in a sling. He did not seem to have as severe an injury like some of the soldiers at the hospital, but out of all the soldiers, he was the first one to notice that she was different.

He then blatantly, and quite boldly, winked at Lilly, causing the woman's eyes to narrow dangerously. For Lilly, she was already a married woman, and happily married at that. For a stranger to attempt to flirt with her, she found that distasteful from her own culture. She quickly handed the man to Branson, who seemed to get the hint. Realizing the soldier was able to walk alright, Branson harshly guided him to the man's bed.

After a while, Lilly and Isobel headed towards the Crawley house to change before heading to the Abbey. George was still in London, so he was unable to join for that night. Lilly was simply dressed that night in a navy-blue dress as she felt there was no need to dress fancily. However, she did keep her hair in a style more reflective of her culture. A lower bun to represent her status as a married woman and a simple hairpin stuck in there to hold the bun in place. The hairpin was a family heirloom and was made of white jade. This was the only sense of accessory that she had chosen to wear for the night.

As they were sitting in the drawing room after dinner, the discussion of volunteering the Abbey to house wounded soldiers was brought into attention. And of course, like Lilly had expected, Dowager Countess of Grantham was not happy about this suggestion. Sybil seemed to be the angrier at her grandmother's disagreement, as Violet huffed out,

"I think it's a ridiculous idea!"

Sybil retaliated with "Why?"

Lilly could only watch helplessly as Violet responded stoutly,

"Because this is a house, not a hospital."

Mary joined in the conversation by stating,

"But, Granny, a convalescent home is where people rest and recuperate."

Violet raised an eyebrow at her eldest granddaughter, not having expected her to make such an argument. With that she said,

"But if there are relapses? What then? Amputation in the dining room? Resuscitation in the pantry?"

Cora took her mother-in-law's side as she added,

"It would certainly be the most tremendous disturbance. If you knew how chaotic things are as it is."

Lilly remained quiet, as she was only Matthew's sister-in-law. George was only here at the Crawley house in support of Matthew. But if situations arose or Matthew took over the estate, George and Lilly would move to London and set a life there. Lilly didn't really have much of a say in this matter. However, Isobel countered Cora's statement, as she said,

"But then there's so much good can be done."

That statement alone angered Violet that the old woman slammed her cane on the floor, making a loud thud noise ring out in the drawing room. Violet glared at Isobel as she said,

"I forbid it. To have strange men prodding and prying about the house, to say nothing of pocketing the spoons. It's out of the question."

Cora sighed, and Lilly could feel the tenseness in Cora, as the woman stood up and said,

"I hesitated to remind, you, but this is my house now. Robert's and mine, and we will make the decision."

Cora was about to turn, but Violet, almost red in the face from anger, hissed out,

"Oh, I see. So now I'm an outsider… who need not be consulted."

Cora's words shocked Lilly, as the woman said, "Since you put it like that, yes."

Lilly awkwardly turned towards Violet and saw a hurt look seep into the older woman's eyes, before they were carefully hidden from view. And Lilly once again felt that the English people were very adamant about not showing their own emotions.

And with that, the night closed and the discussion was put on hold for the time being. After about a day, Lilly remained back at the Crawley House to discuss Maria's cooking lessons with Mrs. Bird. The cook had taken a liking to Maria, and both were discussing combining certain recipes and testing them with the members of the family. Mrs. Bird had always been unsure of whether the English food would be alright for Lilly. And having Maria teach her the recipe for the Joseon cuisine helped. There were also interesting ingredients she never thought of using before. These were cheaper cuts, but Mrs. Bird had learned ways to make them edible in an elevated manner from Maria.

Lilly was happy to find that the two women got along so finely, and asked Mrs. Bird to continue to help Maria learn more. And that if she needed assistance from Maria, to not hesitate and ask for her help.

Mrs. Bird appreciated the offer, and Maria beamed widely. After coming to England, Maria found that it was not proper for her to stick to her lady's side almost all the time like she used to in their home country. Rather, it was more proper to just provide her lady with meals and help her change. That opened up Maria's schedule like no other, and Mrs. Bird's lessons has filled up the time that she had no idea how to use beforehand.

Afterwards, Molesley informed that Isobel asked for Lilly to join her at Downton. Lilly nodded her head slightly before having Maria help her change and head over. Once there, she heard Lady Edith comment,

"Well, we could give them-"

But she heard her mother-in-law cut Edith off with,

"Not much. I'm determined to defend the library as a recreation room."

That caused Lilly to raise an eyebrow as she quietly joined them. Anna offered her tea, which Lilly gratefully accepted. Cora then asked,

"Where are we to sit?"

Isobel nonchalantly commented, "We can screen off the small library?"

That caused Lilly to ask, "Is that enough?"

Edith once again tried to add, "I suppose we-"

And once again, Isobel cut her off with,

"Well, we could leave you the boudoir. I wanted to put the intermediaries in there, but we don't have to."

Cora ground out, "How kind."

Lilly looked at her apologetically, before facing her mother-in-law, and saying,

"Mother, is that really necessary? This is their home after all. Just because we don't live here doesn't mean that all the space is to be volunteered."

Violet's eyes beamed in satisfaction at Lilly's statement, while Isobel looked upset her son's wife would go against her say in this. But Sybil did not seem to mind her mother's mixed emotions by stating,

"Why will we only have officers? Surely all wounded men need to convalesce."

Dr. Clarkson, who was also there for the discussion, responded kindly, but also awkwardly with,

"The hospital is for officers, and the whole idea is to have a complimentary convalescent home."

Sybil then said,

"Of course, but I don't know if we can make that an absolute rule."

Isobel muttered begrudgingly, "If the world were logical, I would rather agree with you."

Violet heard this, and slapped back, "Which comes as no surprise."

Isobel bristled at this, and retaliated with, "You would not, I imagine."

Violet must have had enough, as she then huffed out,

"You imagine right. What these men will need is rest and relaxation. Will that be achieved by mixing ranks and putting everyone on edge?"

With that, Lilly saw Violet exit the room, and Sybil follow to console her grandmother. Eventually, Isobel stands and looks towards Edith, who was glumly hanging around the doorway, causing her to state,

"Don't loiter, Edith. There's plenty to be done."

Lilly could tell Edith mustered up her courage as she tried to state,

"Of course, but I'm not quite what to-"

Isobel then walked towards Sybil, telling the young nurse about something. Lilly walked over to Edith and said,

"What was it that you were going to suggest? I think it might help. It's just that mother could be quite a machine once she has something she has to do in mind."

Edith smiled a little at Lilly before telling her what it was that Isobel had seemingly ignored.

~~…..~~

A day later in the library, everyone was gathered, including Robert. They were discussing about using the estate for a convalescent home, and Violet immediately said,

"I go away for five minutes and everything's settled."

Robert tried to comfort his mother by responding with,

"Nothing's settled. For a start, which rooms will we live in?"

Isobel immediately jumped in with an answer, stating, "The small library and the boudoir."

Lilly's eyebrows rose just like Robert's at the incredulity of how firm Isobel seemed. It was as if Isobel was the owner of the estate now, and not Robert.

Cora then added in a slightly angered tone,

"If Cousin Isobel can find somewhere else for the intermediaries."

Violet hummed before half-jokingly, but more insultingly added,

"There's always the boot room. I'm sure you'll have use for that."

Robert tried to keep his own emotions in check, before asking,

"And where are we supposed to eat?"

Isobel answered quickly, "You can share the dining room with those officers –"

Clearly, that was the wrong answer, as Robert firmly and sternly responded with, "No."

Isobel looked at Robert as if his answer was an outrageous one and heatedly said,

"We all have to make sacrifices."

Lilly jumped a little as Robert raised his voice slightly and said, "No!"

Dr. Clarkson tried to ease the situation as he said,

"Then we'll have tables set up in the Great Hall for the mobile officers and for the nurses. And Lady Grantham, I know you'll be happy about one decision. Lady Grantham asked that the house management might be put into the hands of Corporal Barrow, your former footman, Thomas."

Lilly was surprised at that. She hadn't expected Cora would ask for that. It always felt like the Countess of Grantham had different feelings about Thomas from time to time. Robert must have felt the same as she did as he asked his wife in surprise,

"Thomas? In charge of Downton?"

Cora smiled a little, her facial expression having brightened a little from the one good news as she said,

"No, that's what I thought at first. But he isn't a footman now, he's a soldier. He's worked in medicine."

Dr. Clarkson could see the line of thought Robert seemed to be having as he quickly interjected with,

"The point is, someone has to run the place who's had medical training."

Isobel tried to start, "But I really feel -"

Clearly the best thing for Lilly to do was remain quiet about this as she watched Robert firmly say,

"The men won't accept the authority of a corporal."

Dr. Clarkson nodded, and said,

"I've thought about that. I told my commanding officer that Lady Grantham had asked for Corporal Barrow, and he's prepared to have him raised to the rank of acting sergeant."

That clearly was news to everyone, even Lilly. Robert hesitantly asked,

"But can you spare him?"

Dr. Clarkson smiled tightly as he answered, "We can. I've gone to some trouble to do so."

Isobel huffed a little, and looked away, clearly not happy with how things panned out. Lilly could only helplessly watch. Lilly was good with guns, but she was never good with people. When she turned to look at Cora, it felt like the Countess was beaming brightly.

Dr. Clarkson seemed to have noticed this as well as he said,

"Sergeant Barrow will manage the daily running of Downton and I shall be in overall charge."

Robert seemed to be a little relieved at the news, but out of being polite, he said,

"But you have the hospital. Aren't we missing a tier? Surely there should be someone here permanently who is under you, but over Thomas."

Dr. Clarkson nodded and said,

"And I will make a decision before long. Until then, I do assure you, Corporal Barrow is very efficient."

Violet hummed with, "I say, good. If someone's to manage things, let it be our creature."

Isobel, who was clearly unhappy with everything, snapped back with,

"Why? Are you planning to divide his loyalties?"

Violet merely raised an eyebrow, before calmingly say,

"I wouldn't say I was planning it."

Lilly shared a glance with Cora, who realized that inviting the younger woman might have put her in a tight spot. After all, Lilly had sided with them earlier today and it did not seem like a good thing for her when it came to living with Isobel.

**A/N: The person I wanted to briefly mention is George Lewis Shaw, who was, actually, alive during this particular time period. I don't have the exact details of his entire life, and it is unsure whether he came to Britain during the 20s to 30s, but I wanted to mention him because despite not being from Korea, he contributed to helping people out just because he could. **


End file.
